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Lesson 24

24.1. The Dative (चतुर्थी = "fourth case ending")

1. To express the purpose or intention ("in order to") of an action, instead of the infinitive (तुमुन्), one can also use a noun with a kṛt suffix, which denotes an action or state, in the dative (चतुर्थी = "fourth case ending").

Example:

instead of:

रामो गुरुवचनं श्रोतुं गतः ।

one can also say:

रामो गुरुवचनस्य श्रवणाय गतः ।

or:

रामो गुरुवचनश्रवणाय गतः ।

= "Rāma has gone in order to hear the teacher's speech."


Fig.: बाला गुरुश्रवणाय गताः
(Image source: Details)

2. The dative (चतुर्थी) can also denote the object of an infinitive of purpose that needs to be supplied:

Example:

फलेभ्यो ग्रामं गच्छति = "He goes to the village for the purpose of fruits = He goes to the village in order to fetch fruits."

In the same way, the dative (चतुर्थी) denotes the purpose of a thing or an action:

Example:

यज्ञायान्नम् = "Food for the purpose of a sacrifice = Food for a sacrifice"


Fig.: यज्ञायान्नम्
'Annakut' [अन्नकूट = गोवर्धन पूजा] is a traditional Hindu event that takes place on the Hindu New Year celebrations at all BAPS [બોચાસનવાસી અક્ષ૨ પુરુષોત્તમ સ્વામિનારાયણ સંસ્થા = Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha] mandirs. Hundreds of vegetarian dishes are offered to Bhagwan Swaminarayan [સ્વામિનારાયણ] on this day.
(Image source: Details)

3. The dative (चतुर्थी) also denotes the person or thing for which the object of an action is intended (indirect object; question: to whom?). (Note, however, the verbs with double accusative (द्वितीया)!)

Example:

रामाय फलं ददाति = "He gives Rāma a fruit." (Root दा, class 3 present)


Fig.: बाला बालाय रक्षबन्धनं ददाति
Raksha bandhan is celebrated with fervour and joy all across India. This festival epitomizes the unconditional love between brothers and sisters.
(Image source: Details)

4. The dative is used with certain verbs (and some other words) similar to German, answering the question "to whom?":

Examples:

क्रुध् : देवो नरेभ्यो क्रुध्यति = "The god is angry with the men."

अलम् Adverb: "enough, sufficient, equal": अलं योधो योधाय = "a warrior is the match of another warrior"


Fig.: अलं योधो योधाय
"Rama (right) seated on the shoulders of Hanuman, battles the demon-king Ravana." ca 1820
(Image source: Details)

Further uses of the dative later.

24.2. Formation of the Dative (चतुर्थी)

The regular endings of the dative are:

  • Singular: -e ; vowel-ending feminine stems: -ai
  • Plural: Dative and Ablative पञ्चमी: -bhyas

24.2.1. Consonant Stems

Dative SingularDative Plural
यजन्त्यजते
yaja-t-e
यजद्भ्यस्
aus yaja-t-bhyas
महान्त्महतेमहद्भ्यस्
पशुमन्त्पशुमतेपशुमद्भ्यस्
गुणवन्त्गुणवतेगुणवद्भ्यस्

24.2.2. Interrogative pronouns

Masculine / NeuterFeminine
Dative Singularकस्मैकस्यै
Dative Pluralकेभ्यस्काभ्यस्

24.2.3. Demonstrative pronouns

तद्एतद्इदम्
Masculine / NeuterDat. sg.तस्मैएतस्मैअस्मै
Dat. pl.तेभ्यस्एतेभ्यस्एभ्यस्
FeminineDat. sg.तस्यैएतस्यैअस्यै
Dat. pl.ताभ्यस्एताभ्यस्आभ्यस्

24.2.4. Vocalic stems

Vocalic stems

  • Masculines / Neuters in -a: देव
  • Dat. sg. देवाय
  • Dat. pl. देवेभ्यस्
  • Masculines in -i: कवि
  • Dat. sg. कवये
  • Dat. pl. कविभ्यस्
  • Masculines in -u: पशु
  • Dat. sg. पशवे
  • Dat. pl. पशुभ्यस्
  • Feminines in -ā: देवता
  • Dat. sg. देवतायै
  • Dat. pl. देवताभ्यस्
  • Feminines in -ī: देवी
  • Dat. sg. देव्यै
  • Dat. pl. देवीभ्यस्
  • Feminines in -i: श्रुति
  • Dat. sg. श्रुतये or श्रुत्यै (i.e., like कवि or like देवी)
  • Dat. pl. श्रुतिभ्यस्
  • Feminines in -u: धेनु
  • Dat. sg. धेनवे or धेन्वै
  • Dat. pl. धेनुभ्यस्

24.3. Sandhi of final -ai and -au

Sandhi of final -ai and -au

  • -ai before a vowel-initial word is generally replaced by -ā (rarely by -āy as within the word)
  • -au before a vowel is generally replaced by -āv (rarely by -ā)

Example:

तस्मै + अग्नये » तस्मा अग्नये = "to this fire"

24.4. Word List

अलम् Adverb: enough, sufficient; equal to (someone or something); with Dative: enough for, sufficient for, equal to; with Instrumental: enough with, stop , e.g. अलं क्रोधेन = "enough with the anger = stop being angry!"

In the same way as अलम् with Instrumental is used:

कृतम् : कृतं क्रोधेन = "It is done with the anger = stop being angry!"

अलम् + कृ 8U अलंकरोति : to adorn

अलंकार m.: ornament, means of adornment (in poetry)


Fig.: अलंकारः
(Image source: Details)

हेतु m.: motive, occasion, cause, reason; हेतुना, हेतोस्, हेतवे with Genitive or as the second member of a compound = "for the sake of ..., because of"

प्रतिमा f.: image, likeness


Fig.: देवीप्रतिमा
Hampi = ಹಂಪೆ, Karnataka = ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ
(Image source: Details)

वृत् + प्रप्रवर्तते : to occur, happen, arise

From वृत्:

वृत्ति f.: behavior, activity, way of life

वृत्त n.: behavior

अभि Preverb:  be-, towards - there, to - here, to - there, against, into -, with regard to, on, over, at

नि Preverb: downwards, down, in, backwards

Preposition / Postposition: before Ablative or after Accusative: up to, as far as; with Ablative: from here, from then, since

अतस् Indeclinable: from there, then, therefore (Pronominal stem a- "this" + Ablative suffix -tas)

अध्यक्ष m.: overseer, department head; eyewitness

इन्द्रिय n.: strength, sense organ

ऊह m.: consideration, argumentation

thereof

अपोह m.: negation (अप + ऊह)

ऊहापोह m.: discussion of pros and cons


Fig.: ऊहापोहः
"NEW DELHI/INDIA, 16NOV08 - Suhasini Haidar, Deputy Foreign Editor, CNN-IBN Network 18, India, moderates a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2008 in New Delhi."
(Image source: Details)

औपकारिक 3 f.: - : useful

कुप्य n.: forest product, metal (non-precious metal)

ख्या 2P ख्याति PPP ख्यात : to see, become visible; to name, explain, communicate

ख्या + 2P आख्यात : to tell

thereof:

आख्यान n.: narrative, story


Fig.: आख्यानम्
"San Francisco storyteller Jeff Byers shares a story with the residents of Chenneri, an Irula village. Storyteller Jeeva Raghunath translates into Tamil for the villagers."
(Image source: Details)

ख्या + सम् 2P संख्याति : to add up, calculate

thereof:

संख्या f.: counting, enumeration; सांख्य n.: one of the six philosophical systems (short: Basham, Wonder p. 326f.)

ग्रहण n.: grasping

चौल n.: ceremony (संस्कार) of hair cutting (at the age of 3 years)

तत्त्व n.: true nature, truth, reality (तद् + त्व = this-ness)

स्वस्ति f.: happiness, salvation (nominal formation from सु अस्ति = "it is good")

नमस् n.: bowing, reverence, greeting (declension later). Greeting formula: नमो नमः

thereof:

कृ + नमस् 8 नमस्करोमि : to bow, revere, greet


Fig.: जयदेवकविर्विष्णुं नमस्करोति
Manuscript of the गीतगोविन्द, 1730 CE.
(Image source: Details)

स्वागत n.: welcome (from su-ā-gata)

तृण n.: blade of grass

पुनर् Adverb: again, back, return, but

24.5. Exercise

A) Form the Dative Singular and the Dative/(Ablative) Plural and provide the meaning of the nominal stem:

  1. श्रव
  2. भवन
  3. गति
  4. ऋषि
  5. सुख
  6. गमन
  7. जय
  8. साधु
  9. धेनु
  10. शुद्रा
  11. ब्राह्मणी
  12. अग्नि
  13. एतद् ३
  14. सन्त्
  15. बुद्धिमन्त्
  16. यज्ञ
  17. वचन
  18. सत्यवन्त्
  19. स्मृति
  20. सर्ग
  21. स्वर्ग
  22. दर्शन
  23. सृष्टि
  24. अर्हन्त्
  25. भक्ति
  26. दोष
  27. पूजा
  28. दासी
  29. गुरु

B) Translate and resolve the compounds into Sanskrit:

ब्राह्मणो देवप्रतिमादर्शनाय गर्भगृहं विशति ॥१॥ नरा धनलाभाय व्रतानि चरन्ति ॥२॥ गुरुर्धर्मोपदेशाय नगरं गतः ॥३॥ बाला अपि गुरुवचनश्रुत्यै नगरं गताः ॥४॥ देवप्रतिमायै गृहं गर्भगृहम् ॥५॥ स्वर्गेभ्यो नराः पुण्यं कर्तुमिच्छन्ति ॥६॥ मोक्षार्थं बुद्धगता बुद्ध्याप्तिमिच्छन्ति ॥७॥ देवास्तेभ्यो ऽकृतपूजाब्राह्मणेभ्यः क्रुध्यन्ति ॥८॥ मरणाय जना जायन्ते ॥९॥

C) Render sentences A) 1-4 into Sanskrit by replacing the Dative Infinitives (तुमुन्). Note that the infinitive governs the same case as the corresponding verb.

D) Replace in sentence A) 7 the construction with -अर्थ by an equivalent dative.

E) Replace in sentence A) 6 the dative construction by an equivalent construction with -अर्थ

24.6. Further exercises on the use of the dative

Translate into Sanskrit:

  1. The goddess, to whom no sacrifice has been offered, is angry with men.

  2. He lets the cow loose into the village.

  3. Now it is enough = Enough with patience.

  4. That is good (हित, सुख) for a Brahmin.

  5. Reverence (नमस्) be to Śiva! Reverence be to Śrī Gaṇeśa!


Fig.: श्रीगणेशाय नमः
(Image source: Details)

  1. Farewell! (= Well-being (स्वस्ति f.) to you!)

  2. This fruit is sufficient for eating.

  3. A warrior is a match (शक्त) for the (other) warrior.

  4. Even Viṣṇu does not surpass (प्र-भू + Dat.) Śiva.

  5. After I have bowed down to the three sages (Acc.) (नमस्कृ)... He bows down to Narasiṃha (Dat.)

Explanation: मुनित्रयम् "the triad of sages = the three sages" = the grammarians पाणिनि, कात्यायन, पतञ्जलि


Fig.: नरो नरसिंहाय नमस्करोति नरसिंह devours हिरण्यकशिपु, leaf from a manuscript of the भागवतपुराण
(Image source: Details)

  1. Welcome (स्वागतम्) to you. Welcome to the queen.

  2. I wish you well-being (कुशल) = Well-being to you!

  3. He does not regard him as a blade of grass.

  4. One fruit is sufficient for eating and water for drinking.

15१५. ¡Hasta luego! (Neusanskrit: पुनर्दर्शनाय)

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