Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c6.25

c6.25

The chief characteristics of the Vedic language are these:—It contains a large number of words that have become obsolete or changed their sense in the later or classical Sanskrit. There is a greater variety of verbal derivatives, such as दर्शित in the sense of दर्शनीय ‘worthy to be seen, or handsome’, जीवम्, अवम् &c. abstract nouns from the roots जीव्, अव् &c., जतुस् ‘something that is produced’, पपि, बत्रि, जघ्नि &c., nouns of agency having a past sense (Pâṇ. III. 2,171), which govern an accusative, दृशीक signifying ‘handsome’ or मृळीक ‘favour,’ &c. The nominative plural termination of nouns ending in अ is असम् (Pâṇ. VII. 1, 50), as विश्वेदेवासः, as well as अस्, as यज्ञेन यज्ञमयजन्त देवाः; and the instrumental plural is देवेभिः or देवैः (Pâṇ. VII. 1, 10). The vowel cases of nouns in उ are often formed by joining the vowels by the usual Saṃdhi rules; as तन्वम् or तनुवम् accusative singular of तनु; मध्वः and वस्वः genitive singulars of मधु and वसु. The instrumental singular is made up by affixing आ, या, or इया, instead of ना, as मध्वा, उरुया, उर्विया, धृष्ण्या, &c. (Pâṇ. VII. 1, 39); sometimes of other nouns also, as स्वपया, नावया &c. The nominative and vocative dual of masculine and the plural of neuter nouns in अ often end in आ; as येनेमा विश्वा