Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c6.27

c6.27

The infinitive is formed by adding to roots the terminations से, ध्यै, अध्यै, तवै and तवे (Pāṇ. III. 4, 9), as वक्षे, जीवसे, पिबध्यै, दातवै, हत्तवे. These are etymologically the forms of the dative singular of such nouns as वक्ष, जीवस्, पिबधि &c. A few other datives are similarly used, as दृशे, रोहिष्यै &c. (Pāṇ. III. 4, 10, 11). The accusatives of some nouns are also used as infinitives when governed by शक् (Pāṇ. III. 4, 12), as न ये शेकुर्यज्ञियां नावमारुहम् Rv. X. 44, 6; also in other places, चिकितुषो विपृच्छम् Rv. VII. 86, 3. The infinitive in classical Sanskrit ends in तुम्, as कर्तुम्, which is the accusative form of such a noun as कर्तृ, the dative of which, कर्तवे, is one of the forms of the Vedic infinitive. The potential participles are often formed by adding तवै, ए, एण्य and त्व (Pāṇ. III. 4, 14), as नैषा गव्युतिरपभर्तवा उ Rv. X. 14, 2, न तेन देव आदिशे Rv. VI. 56, 1, दिदृक्षेण्यः, कर्तव्यम्. The first two, however, ought properly to be considered as infinitives. The absolutive is sometimes formed by the addition of त्वाय; as गत्वाय. There is such a form as इष्टीनम् for इष्ट्वा; and such others as हत्वी and पीत्वी for हत्वा and पीत्वा occur often. These last, as also the usual or classical absolutives, are forms of the instrumental singular of the same nouns, the dative and accusative of which are used as infinitives; त्वाय appears also to be an instrumental. There are a great many other peculiarities which are noticed by Pāṇini, and which you will find collected in the Siddhānta-Kaumudī. One thing, however, should be borne in mind, that notwithstanding there is in these respects a very great difference between the Vedic and the classical Sanskrit, they are in the same phonetic stage, i. e. the vocal elements of words and letters remain the same. There are a few such instances, as सध for सह, and गृभ for गृह, in which the mute has disappeared, leaving only the aspirate element, and to these may be added the terminations मसि and असस् for मस् and अस्; but both the original and corrupt forms exist in the Vedas, and no general conclusion can be based on these few instances. You will hereafter see that the other dialects I shall speak of differ greatly from the classical Sanskrit in these respects. The following specimen will give you an idea of Vedic Sanskrit:—