Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c7.57

c7.57

We will now examine the Pâli verb. The distinction between the special and general tenses and moods is almost lost, the special form being used in the general, as गच्छस्सति the future of गम्, or the general form in the special as गमेति. We have also गमिस्सति and गच्छति. A large number of roots used in ordinary intercourse belong in Sanskrit to the first conjugation; this and the sixth are the easiest of the ten; in many cases there is no practical distinction between them, and others they are so greatly like each other that they are capable of being confused together. Hence the rule of constructing verbal forms common to these two conjugations, *viz.* the addition of the personal terminations through the intervention of अ, has become general in Pâli. A good many roots belonging to the other classes are conjugated according to this rule; as दोहति, विदति, and रवति, for दोग्धि, वेत्ति, and रौति, of the second class; पोसति for पुष्यति, मुसति and बन्धति for मुष्णाति and बध्नाति, &c. The tenth conjugation is almost equally common in Sanskrit, whence a great many roots are conjugated necessarily or optionally in this way; as वदेमि or वदामि, गमेति or गच्छति, सिलेसेति, वेदेति or विदति, विगाहेति, &c. from वद्, गम्, श्लिष्, विद्, गाह् with वि, &c. The ए in these forms stands, you will remember, for the Sanskrit अय, which is the characteristic of the tenth class. The second conjugation has gone out, except in isolated forms such as अत्थि for अस्ति, and the third has left some reduplicated roots, as ददामि, जहाति, &c. The fourth has preserved a good many of its roots but its य is corrupted according to the usual phonetic rules; thus बुध्य becomes बुज्झ; पद्य, पज्ज; नृत्य, नच्च; मन्य, मञ्ञ, &c. The fifth and the ninth are confounded, and roots of the former take the termination of the latter also; as पापुणोति or पापुणाति for प्राप्नोति; सुणोति or सुणाति for शृणोति; सक्कोति or सक्ुणाति for शक्नोति &c. In the last instance the base is सक् derived from सक्कोति the corruption of शक्नोति, thus showing that the forms in ना are a later growth. The seventh inserts, as before remarked, a nasal in the body of the roots and transfers them to the first; the eighth remains in a few cases such as तन् and कृ, though this last takes a peculiar form also, as तनोति, करोति or कयिरति; and the ninth adds ना as in Sanskrit, as किणाति, धुनाति, लुनाति, पुनाति, &c. But it is to be observed that the more common of the roots belonging to these conjugations only have preserved their peculiar forms; the rest are conjugated according to the rules of the first, sixth, or tenth. Since the distinction between the special and general tenses and moods is lost, the effect of these conjugational peculiarities is only to constitute a new or augmented root.