Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/164

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154

I. Allgemeines und Sprache. 4. Vedic Grammar.

b. A similar extension with -a occurs in collectives which are allied to Bahuvrlhis: thus try-ayus-d- (VS.) 'threefold lifetime', dvi-raj-d- (AV.) 'battle of two kings', sad-rc-d- 'aggregate of six stanzas', sam-udr-d- 'collection of waters' {*udar-), 'sea', sa-vidyui-d- (AV.) 'thunderstorm' ('accompanied by lightning'). Akin to these are compounds in which the first member expresses a part of the last (with change of gender); thus ardha-rc-d- (AV. VS.) m. 'half-stanza', aparahii-d- (AV.) m. 'afternoon', ny-dhn-a- (AV.) 'decline of day', purvahn-d- 'forenoon', prd-pad-a- 'tip of the foot'. There are further some neuter determinatives which probably had originally a collective sense; thus, with change of gender, tri-div-d- 'third heaven', su-div-d- (AV.) 'fine day'; d-path-a- (AV.) 'pathlessness', su-pdih-a- 'good path'. From neuter stems in -as, deuainas-d- (AV.) 'curse of the gods', manusyainas-d- (AV.) 'sin {enas-) of men'; brahma-varcas-d- (AV. VS.) 'divine power', hasti-varcas-d- (AV.) 'vigour of an elephant', brahmana-varcas-d- (AV.) 'dignity of a Brahman'.

c. The ending -a frequently takes the place of -««' in the final member of Bahuvrlhis, collectives, and Karmadharayas; thus deva-karmd- 'doing divine work', visvd-karma- 'performing all work', vird-karma- 'per- forming manly work', priyd-dhama- 'occupying desirable places', chando-nama- (VS.) 'named metre', 'metrical', vi-parva- 'jointless', dvi-vrsd-'^ (AV.) 'having two bulls', aiiji-sakthd- (VS.) 'having coloured thighs', ut-sakthd- (VS.) 'lifting up the thighs', lomasd-saktha- (VS.) 'having hairy thighs' 3, rk-samd- 'the Re verses and the Samans', sad-ahd- (AV.) m. 'period of six days'; bhadrahd- (AV.) n. 'auspicious day', eka-vrsd- (AV.) 'only bull', maha-vrsd- (AV.) 'great bull'.

d. The suffix -a takes the place of -/' in kava-sakhd- 'having a niggard for a friend' {sdkhi-), in mandaydt-sakha- 'gladdening his friend', and in dasanguld- 'length of ten fingers' {anguli-).

5. In Bahuvrlhis the suffix -in is sometimes pleonastically added; thus ku-nakh-in- (AV.) 'having bad nails', maha-hast-in- 'having large hands', yaso- bhag-in- (VS.) 'rich in glory', sa-raih-in- (VS.) 'riding on the same chariot'.

257. Classification of Compounds. — The Indian grammarians divided compounds into three main classes according to their syntactical relations: i) copulatives, or those in which the members are coordinated, called dvandva-^ ('couple'); 2) determinatives, or those in which the first member determines the second, called tat-puriisa- ('his man') 5; 3) those which are dependent on another word, called bahu-vrihi-^ . The latter are usually regarded as compounds of the determinative class transmuted to adjectives, which would thus have a secondary character. They are often called 'possessives' since their meaning can usually be rendered by 'possessing', as bahv-annd- 'possessing much food'. To these may be added three other groups in order to treat Vedic compounds exhaustively: 4) governing compounds, or those in which the first member governs the last in sense; e. g. ksaydd-vira- 'ruling men'; 5) a certain remnant of irregular combinations which are best dealt with together; 6) iteratives, or repeated words which are treated as compounds in the Samhitas inasmuch as they have only one accent and a special meaning when thus combined; in these the second member is called amredita- 'repeated' by the Indian grammarians.

1 This -a probably started in stems ending in -man, representing *-mn-a-; see Wacker- KAGEL 2', p. 118 C.

2 -vrsa- lor -vrsan- occurs in the AV. after other numerals also.

3 For some doubtful examples see Wacker- NAGEL 2', p. H6.

4 The word first occurs in a. B. passage of the TS. (l. 6. 94) in the form oi dvandvani 'couples', and in the AB.

5 An example used as the name of the class.

6 'Having much rice', an example used as the name of the class.