VII. Samāsa

Source

Bālāvatāra: An Elementary Pali Grammar Abridged for the Under-graduate Course, originally edited and translated by Satischandra Vidyabhusana and Punnananda Swami, revised and recast with additional matter by Sailendranath Mitra, University of Calcutta, 1935. Reproduced from a scan of the printed book, available here as a PDF (3.6 MB); the OCR errors of the scan have been corrected.

This page is one part of the 1935 translation, reproduced as printed. The front matter and the contents are on the main page.

1. Nāmānaṁ Samāso yutt’attho.

Samāsa (Compound) is the aggregation of the meanings of words used to denote names:

• Rañño putto = Rāja-putto.
• Āgantukassa bhattaṁ = Āgantuka-bhattaṁ.
• Samaṇo ca brāhmaṇo ca = Samaṇa-brāhmaṇā.

2. Tesaṁ vibhattiyo lopā ca — Pakati c’assa sar’antassa.

And the case-endings of those words which are united in a compound are (generally) elided.

And the case-endings having elided, the words ending in vowels assume their basic forms (and then the compound assumes gender, number and case):

• Cakkhuṁ ca sotaṁ ca = Cakkhu-sotaṁ.
• Cakkhunā ca sotena ca = Cakkhu-sotena.
• Cakkhūhi ca sotehi ca = Cakkhu-sotehi.
• Rañño putto = Rāja-putto.
• Rañño puriso = Rāja-puriso.

But, the case-ending is retained in such instances as Pabhaṁ karoti = Pabhaṁ-karo.

3. Dvipade tulyādhikaraṇe Kammadhārayo.

When two words (an adjective and a noun) possessing similar case-endings are combined, the combination is called Kammadhāraya or Descriptive Compound:

• Mahanto oa so vīro cā ti = Mahāvīro.
• Khattiyā ca sā kaññā cā ti=Khattiya-kaññā.

[In a Kammadhāraya compound, mahanta is generally changed to mahā and ku occasionally to kā or kad (according to Kaccāyana, 2. 7. 15); e.g., mahā-vīro, kā-puriso, kadanno; but, ku-dārā, ku-puttā, ku-gehā, ku-dāsā, kuvatthā. If both the words are feminine, the first member of the compound assumes the masculine form (according to Kaccāyana, 2. 7. 17); e. g., khattiya-kaññā, mahā-saddhā. Otherwise, there is no change; as, kumārī-ratanaṁ (where ratanaṁ being neuter, the first member kumārī, which is used as an adjective, retains its feminine form).]

4. Saṅkhyāpubbo Digu — Diguss’ekattaṁ.

If the first member of a Descriptive Compound is a numeral, the combination is called Digu or Numeral Compound, which becomes singular and neuter:

• Tayo lokā samāhaṭā = Tilokaṁ. So also, Catuddisaṁ, Pañcindriyaṁ.

5. Ubhe Tappurisā — Amādayo parapadehi — Attaṁ Nassa Tappurise — Sare An.

Numeral Compounds (Digu) and Descriptive Compounds (Kammadhāraya) are both called Tappurisa or Determinative Compounds.

When the first member possesses one or other of the case-endings aṁ, nā, etc. (i.e., the second, the third and so on), excepting the nominative and the vocative, and determines the meaning of the second member, their combination is called Tappurisa or Determinative.

In combination the case-ending of the first member is generally dropped. There are six kinds of Tappurisa Compound:

1. Bhūmiṁ gato = Bhūmi-gato (2nd Tappurisa).
   Sabbarattiṁ sobhano = Sabbaratti-sobhano (Do.).
2. Issarena kataṁ = Issara-kataṁ (3rd Tappurisa).
   Sallena viddhaṁ = Salla-viddhaṁ (Do.).
3. Kaṭhinassa dussaṁ = Kaṭhina-dussaṁ (4th Tappurisa).
   Āgantukassa bhattaṁ = Āgantuka-bhattaṁ (4th Tappurisa).
4. Methunasmā apeto = Methunāpeto (5th Tappurisa).
   Rājato bhayaṁ = Rāja-bhayaṁ (6th Tappurisa).
   Corā bhayaṁ = Cora-bhayaṁ (Do.).
5. Rañño putto = Rāja-putto (6th Tappurisa).
   Dhaññānaṁ rāsi = Dhañña-rāsi (Do.).
6. Rūpe saññā = Rūpa-saññā (7th Tappurisa).
   Saṁsāre dukkhaṁ = Saṁsāra-dukkhaṁ (Do.).

If “na” is the first member in a Determinative Compound, it is changed into “a”:

• Na suro = a-suro; na Brāhmaṇo = a-Brāhmaṇo; na vasalī = a-vasalī; na bhikkhu = a-bhikkhu; na pañca-vasso = a-pañcavasso; na punageyyā = a-punageyyā. [A Kammadhāraya combination, having a nipāta as its first member, is called “Nañ Tatpuruṣa” in Sanskrit Grammar.]

But, if a vowel follows, the “na” becomes “an”:

• Na asso = an-asso.

6. Aññapad’ atthesu Bahubbīhi.

When words signifying names of objects are combined together to signify the name of a different object, the Compound is called Bahubbīhi or Attributive:

• Āgatā samaṇā yaṁ saṅghārāmaṁ so — Āgata-samaṇo saṅghārāmo.
• Jitāni indriyāni yena samaṇena so — Jitindriyo samaṇo.
• Dinno suṅko yassa rañño so — Dinna-suṅko rājā.
• Niggatā janā yasmā gāmā so — Niggata-jano gāmo.
• Chinnā hatthā yassa purisassa so — Chinna-hattho puriso.
• Sampannāni sassāni yasmiṁ janapade so — Sampanna-sasso janapado.
• Nigrodhassa parimaṇḍalo = Nigrodha-parimaṇḍalo (6th Tappurisa); Nigrodha-parimaṇḍalo iva parimaṇḍalo yassa rājakumārassa so — Nigrodha-parimaṇḍalo rājakumāro (Bahubbīhi).

Attributive Compounds are of two kinds:

1. Tulyādhikaraṇa.-When the words which are combined together are of the same gender, number and case, the samāsa is called Tulyādhikaraṇa Bahubbīhi:

Āgatā samaṇā yaṁ saṅghārāmaṁ so — Āgata-samaṇo saṅghārāmo (where āgatā and samaṇā are both masculine, plural and nominative). 2. Bhinnādhikaraṇa-When the words which are combined together are different in gender, number and case, the samāsa is called Bhinnādhikaraṇa Bahubbīhi:

Pupphehi bhavo yassa so-Puppha-bhavo (where pupphehi is neuter, plural and ablative, while bhavo is masculine, singular and nominative).

7. Nāmānaṁ samuccayo Dvando.

When several words (denoting names) in the same case are joined together, the Compound is called Dvanda or Aggregative:

Candimā ca suriyo ca — Candima-suriyā. Narā ca nāriyo ca, Naro ca nārī ca — Nara-nāriyo. Akkharaṁ ca padaṁ ca, Akkharāni ca padāni ca — Akkhara-padāni. Similarly, Samaṇa-brāhmaṇā, Sāriputta-Moggallānā, Brāhmaṇa-gahapatikā, Yama-Varuṇā, Kuvera-Vāsavā and so on.

8. Tathā Dvande pāṇi-turiya-yogga-senaṅga-khuddajantuka-vividha-viruddha-visabhāg’atthādīnaṁ ca.

(As the Digu Compound,) even so the Dvanda Compound, consisting of words of the following among other descriptions, is put in the singular number and neuter gender: (1) signifying limbs of living beings: -

Cakkhuṁ ca sotaṁ ca — Cakkhu-sotaṁ. Similarly, Mukha-nāsikaṁ, Chavi-maṁsa-lohitaṁ; (2) signifying branches or instruments of music:- Gītaṁ ca vāditaṁ — Gīta-vāditaṁ; Saṅkho ca paṇavo ca — Saṅkha-paṇavaṁ. Similarly, Daddari-deṇḍimaṁ; (3) signifying objects belonging to a yoke:-

Yugaṁ ca naṅgalaṁ ca — Yuga-naṅgalaṁ. Similarly, Phāla-pācanaṁ; (4) signifying objects relating to, or component parts of, an army:- Asi ca cammaṁ ca — Asi-cammaṁ. Similarly, Dhanu-kalāpaṁ, Hatth’-assaṁ, Ratha-pattikaṁ; (5) signifying little creatures (worms, insects etc.) :- Ḍaṁso ca masako ca — Ḍaṁsa-masakaṁ. Similarly, Kuntha-kipillikaṁ, Kīṭa-siriṁsapaṁ; (6) signifying objects which indicate various degrees of difference:- Ahi ca nakulo ca — Ahi-nakulaṁ. Similarly, Biḷāra-mūsikaṁ, Kākolūkaṁ; (7) signifying contrary qualities:-

Nāmañ ca Rūpañ ca — Nāma-Rūpaṁ. Similarly, Sīla-paññaṁ, Samatha-vipassanaṁ, Vijjā-caraṇaṁ.

9. Vibhāsā rukkha-tiṇa-pasu-dhana-dhañña-janapadādīnaṁ ca.

A Dvanda compound, consisting of words of the following among other descriptions, is also put in the singular number and neuter gender, optionally :-

1. denoting trees: Dhava-khādiraṁ, Dhava-khādirā; Assattha-kapitthaṁ, Assattha-kapitthā;
2. denoting grass: Muñja-babbajaṁ, Muñja-babbajā; Usīra-bīraṇaṁ, Usīra-bīraṇā;
3. denoting animals: Aj’eḷakaṁ, Aj’eḷakā;
4. signifying valuable things: Hirañña-suvaṇṇaṁ, Hirañña-suvaṇṇā;
5. denoting grains: Sāli-yavaṁ, Sāli-yavā;
6. denoting inhabitants of a country: Kāsi-Kosalaṁ, Kāsi-Kosalā.

10. Upasagga-Nipāta-pubbako Abyayībhāvo.

The combination of words with upasagga or nipāta in the following among other senses is called Abyayībhāva or Indeclinable Compound. The compound is put in the neuter gender [vide Kaccāyana, 2.7.5] and the final vowel is made short [vide Kaccāyana, 2.7.27]:

Cittaṁ adhikicca = Adhicittaṁ.

Nagarassa samīpe = Upanagaraṁ. Darathassa abhāvo = Niddarathaṁ. Masakassa abhāvo = Nimmasakaṁ. Makkhikānaṁ abhāvo = Nimmakkhikaṁ. Vuḍḍhānaṁ paṭipāṭiyā = Yathāvuḍḍhaṁ. Sattiṁ anatikkamma = Yathāsatti. Ye ye vuḍḍhā = Yathāvuḍḍhaṁ. Jīvassa yattako paricchedo = Yāvajīvaṁ. Ā pabbatā (khettaṁ) = Āpabbataṁ. Ā jalantā (sītaṁ) = Ājalantaṁ. Pabbatassa tiro = Tiropabbataṁ Sotassa paṭi = Paṭisotaṁ. Pāsādassa anto = Antopāsādaṁ.