in AV., and the only one later. In 2d pl., dhvāi for dhve is found in one word in RV., and a few times in the Brāhmaṇas. In 3d pl., ntāi for nte is the Brāhmaṇa form (of far from frequent occurrence); it occurs neither in RV. nor AV. No such dual endings as thāi and tāi, for the and te, are anywhere found; but RV. has in a few words (nine: above, 547 c) āithe and āite, which appear to be a like subjunctive strengthening of ethe and ete (although found in one indicative form, kṛṇvāite). Before the āi-endings, the vowel is regularly long ā; but antāi instead of āntāi is two or three times met with, and once or twice (TS. AB.) atāi for ātāi.
562. The subjunctive endings, then, in combination with the subjunctive mode-sign, are as follows:
| active. | middle. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s. | d. | p. | s. | d. | p. | |
| 1 | āni | āva | āma | āi | āvahāi āvahe |
āmahāi āmahe |
| 2 | asi as |
athas | atha | ase āsāi |
āithe | adhve ādhvāi |
| 3 | ati at |
atas | an | ate ātāi |
āite | ante, anta āntāi |
a. And in further combination with final a of a tense-stem, the initial a of all these endings becomes ā: thus, for example, in 2d pers., āsi or ās, āthas, ātha, āse, ādhve.
563. Besides this proper subjunctive, with mode-sign, in its triple form — with primary, with strengthened primary, and with secondary endings — the name of subjunctive, in the forms "imperfect subjunctive" and "improper subjunctive", has been also given to the indicative forms of imperfect and aorist when used, with the augment omitted, in a modal sense (below, 587): such use being quite common in RV., but rapidly dying out, so that in the Brāhmaṇa language and later it is hardly met with except after mā prohibitive.
a. As to the general uses of the subjunctive, see below, 574 ff.
Optative Mode.
564. a. As has been already pointed out, the optative is of comparatively rare occurrence in the language of the Vedas; but it gains rapidly in frequency, and already in the Brāhmaṇas greatly outnumbers the subjunctive, and still later comes almost entirely to take its place.
b. Its mode of formation is the same in all periods of the language.
565. a. The optative mode-sign is in the active voice a different one, according as it is added to a tense-stem ending in a, or
