Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/148

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138

I. Allgemeines und Sprache. 4. Vedic Grammar.

'First', dvi-td- 'Second', tri-td- 'Third' as Proper Names. It also appears in ava-td- 'well' and muhur-td- 'moment'.

210. With the suffix -tana and its syncopated form -tna are made, from adverbs or prepositions, a very few adjectives with a temporal sense: mi-tana- and na-tna- 'present' {nu 'now'), sana-tdna- (AV.) and sand-tna- (AV.) 'eternal' {sdna 'from of old'), pra-tnd- 'ancient' {prd 'before').

211. The suffix -tama has two uses. It is employed to form superlatives from nominal stems and from the preposition lid; &. g. puru-tdma- 'very many', mddhumat-tama- 'very sweet', rathi-tama-'^ 'best charioteer'; ut-tamd-' 'highest'. It is also used to form ordinals; e. g. sata-tamd- 'hundredth'.

212. With the suffix -iaya are formed only two adjectives from numerals in the sense of 'consisting of so many parts': cdtus-taya- {KM .) 'fourfold' and ddsa-taya- 'tenfold'.

213. The suffix -iara is regularly used to form comparatives from adjectives, substantives, or the preposition ud; e. g. tavds-tara- 'stronger', rathi-tara- 'better charioteer', vrtra-tdra- 'worse Vrtra'; ut-tara- 'higher'. It also forms the ordinary adjective diva-tara- (RV.) 'diurnal' (diva 'by day'), and a few substantives in which the meaning of the suffix is somewhat obscure: asva-tdra-^ (AV.) 'mule' (f. -i), vatsa-tard-^ 'weaned calf's (f. -/).

214. The suffix -iau-ya, probably originating from the predicative use of dative infinitives in -tav-e and beginning to be used in a gerundive sense, appears only twice in the AV. : jan-i-tav-ya- 'to be born' and hims-i-tav-ya- 'to be injured'.

215. The suffix -to. forms, from adjectives and substantives, some two dozen abstract nouns expressing the sense conveyed by the English suffixes -ness and -ship; e. g. bandhi'i-ta- 'relationship', vasu-ta- 'wealthiness'; ago-ta- 'lack of cattle', devd-ta- 'divinity', purusd-ta- 'human nature'; jand-ta- (AV.) has acquired the concrete sense of 'mankind' *. Exceptional formation appears in mamd-ta- 'selfishness' and tre-ta- 1 (VS. TS.) 'triad'. This suffix is probably contained in su-nf-ta-^ 'gladness' also.

a. The suffixes -tati and -tai are related to -ta and have the same sense. With the former are made about a dozen abstract substantives; e.g. a-ristd-tati- 'security', grbhitd-tati- 'the being seized', jyesthd-tati- 'superiority', devd'tati- 'divinity', vasu-tati- 'wealth', sarvd-tati- 'completeness'. The two substantives sdm-tati- 'good fortune' and satyd-tati- 'truth' also appear as adjectives meaning respectively 'beneficent' and 'truthful'. The suffix -tat, which seems to be an abbreviation of -tati and occurs only in the RV., is employed to form four or five abstract substantives: upard-tat- 'proximity', devd-tat- 'divine service', vrkd-tat- 'wolfishness', sarvd-tat- 'completeness'.

216. The suffix -tya forms some half dozen adjectives and sub- stantives from prepositions and adverbs. These are dpa-tya- n. 'offspring', amd-tya- 'companion' {ama 'at home'), Svis-tya- 'manifest' {avis 'openly'), nis-tya- 'foreign' {nis 'out'), sdnu-tya- 'secret' 9. This suffix is also added to

1 Also in the Proper Name gd-ta?na-.

2 The superlatives tuvi-s-tama- 'strongest' and surabhi'S-iania- 'most fragrant' insert a sibilant before the suffix.

3 Perhaps 'more (like a) horse' (than an assl.

I Probably 'more than a calf.

5 In ratham-tard-, designation of a kind of Saman, in which the case ending of the ace. remains, the second part is doubtless

the verbal -tara 'speeding' {t]'- 'cross'). karotard- 'filter' and kaulitard-, designation of Sambara, are probably formed vifith -a and Vrddhi.

6 Like 'humanity' in English.

7 Also in tret-in-l- (RV.) 'the threefold flame of three fires'.

8 Though it appears also as a neuter sii- nfta- 'gladness' and as an adjective 'joyful'.

9 Cp. sanu-tdr 'aside', I