In this chapter, we continue the discussion about the declension of nouns ending in consonant. Now, we are going to discuss the declension of regular nouns ending in palatal consonants (c and j), in r and in s. (Müller also includes the palatal consonants ch and jh, but nouns ending in those letters are so rare --there aren't even any examples of nouns ending in jh in the Monier-Williams dictionary-- that we won't spend any time on them here).
For the sake of convenience, we are going to repeat here the tables of endings for nouns ending in consonant that we showed you in the previous chapter:
Endings for masculine and feminine nouns ending in consonant
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | No ending | औ au | अः aḥ |
Vocative | Generally like the Nominative | औ au | अः aḥ |
Accusative | अम् am | औ au | अः aḥ |
Instrumental | आ ā | भ्याम् bhyām | भिः bhiḥ |
Dative | ए e | भ्याम् bhyām | भ्यः bhyaḥ |
Ablative | अः aḥ | भ्याम् bhyām | भ्यः bhyaḥ |
Genitive | अः aḥ | ओः oḥ | आम् ām |
Locative | इ i | ओः oḥ | सु su |
Endings for neuter nouns ending in consonant
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | No ending | ई ī | इ i |
Vocative | No ending | ई ī | इ i |
Accusative | No ending | ई ī | इ i |
The rest is like the masculine and feminine ones |
Nouns ending with c follow essentially the same idea of the nouns that we discussed in the previous chapter. As always, the prātipadika (crude/undeclined form) is attached to the endings given above. The following things happen1Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 67, §158:
1) The final c of the prātipadika changes to "k" in the grammatical cases with "no ending" and in the Locative plural; and it changes to "g" before endings that begin with "bh". It doesn't change before endings that begin with vowel.
2) In the neuter declension, an "ñ" is added before the final consonant of the prātipadika in the Nominative/Accusative/Vocative plural.
For example, below is the declension of the adjective jalamuc, which means "shedding water". In the tables below, we highlighted in red the part of the word that varies according to the declension:
Jalamuc (masculine and feminine)
| Jalamuc (neuter)
|
Also notice that, in the Locative plural, the original ending "su" changed to "ṣu".
There are two kinds of nouns ending with j, which we will call Type 1 and Type 2 here. The difference between the two types is the following:
1) In Type 1 nouns --which follow the same pattern of nouns ending in c-- the final j of the prātipadika changes to "k" in the grammatical cases with "no ending" and in the Locative plural; and it changes to "g" before endings that begin with "bh".2Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 68, §161
2) In Type 2 nouns, the final j of the prātipadika changes to "ṭ" in the grammatical cases with "no ending" and in the Locative plural; and it changes to "ḍ" before endings that begin with "bh".3Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 68, §162
The rest of the rules is just like nouns ending in c: the prātipadika doesn't change before endings beginning with vowel, and, in the neuter declension, an "ñ" is added before the final consonant of the prātipadika in the Nominative/Accusative/Vocative plural.
For an example of a noun of the Type 1, below is the declension of ṛtvij, which means "sacrificing regularly". As usual, in the tables below, we highlighted in red the part of the word that varies according to the declension:
Ṛtvij (masculine and feminine)
| Ṛtvij (neuter)
|
Notice again, that, in the Locative plural, the original ending "su" changed to "ṣu".
For an example of a noun of the Type 2, below is the declension of samrāj, which means "a universal or supreme ruler":
Samrāj (masculine and feminine)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | सम्राट् samrāṭ | सम्राजौ samrājau | सम्राजः samrājaḥ |
Vocative | सम्राट् samrāṭ | सम्राजौ samrājau | सम्राजः samrājaḥ |
Accusative | सम्राजम् samrājam | सम्राजौ samrājau | सम्राजः samrājaḥ |
Instrumental | सम्राजा samrājā | सम्राड्भ्याम् samrāḍbhyām | सम्राड्भिः samrāḍbhiḥ |
Dative | सम्राजे samrāje | सम्राड्भ्याम् samrāḍbhyām | सम्राड्भ्यः samrāḍbhyaḥ |
Ablative | सम्राजः samrājaḥ | सम्राड्भ्याम् samrāḍbhyām | सम्राड्भ्यः samrāḍbhyaḥ |
Genitive | सम्राजः samrājaḥ | सम्राजोः samrājoḥ | सम्राजाम् samrājām |
Locative | सम्राजि samrāji | सम्राजोः samrājoḥ | सम्राट्सु samrāṭsu (or) सम्राट्त्सु samrāṭtsu |
Notice that, in the declension of samrāj, there is an additional optional form samrāṭtsu for the Locative plural. Müller explains this optional form by referring to a Sandhi rule that says:"A final ṭ before s must remain unchanged, and t may be inserted" 4Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 29, §76.In the Locative plural form samrāṭsu, we have a final ṭ before s. Therefore, this Sandhi rule applies, and t may be inserted (between the ṭ and the s), producing samrāṭtsu.
Another example of a Type 2 noun is vibhrāj ("shining"). Click here to see the declension tables of vibhrāj.
Nouns ending with r are declined as follows: the prātipadika is added to the endings given in the beginning of this chapter, and5Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 70, §164:
1) If there are vowels i and u before the r, they are lengthened (i becomes ī and u becomes ū) in the cases with "no ending" and in the cases where the ending begins with a consonant.
2) In the Locative plural, the original ending "su" changes to "ṣu".
Also, notice that in the cases with "no ending", the final "r" of the prātipadika changes to "ḥ" according to the 1st Rule of Visarga Sandhi.
For example, below are the declensions of the feminine noun gir ("voice"), the feminine noun pur ("town") and the neuter noun vār ("water"). The endings are highlighted in red:
Gir (feminine)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | गीः gīḥ | गिरौ girau | गिरः giraḥ |
Vocative | गीः gīḥ | गिरौ girau | गिरः giraḥ |
Accusative | गिरम् giram | गिरौ girau | गिरः giraḥ |
Instrumental | गिरा girā | गीर्भ्याम् gīrbhyām | गीर्भिः gīrbhiḥ |
Dative | गिरे gire | गीर्भ्याम् gīrbhyām | गीर्भ्यः gīrbhyaḥ |
Ablative | गिरः giraḥ | गीर्भ्याम् gīrbhyām | गीर्भ्यः gīrbhyaḥ |
Genitive | गिरः giraḥ | गिरोः giroḥ | गिराम् girām |
Locative | गिरि giri | गिरोः giroḥ | गीर्षु gīrṣu |
Pur (feminine)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | पूः pūḥ | पुरौ purau | पुरः puraḥ |
Vocative | पूः pūḥ | पुरौ purau | पुरः puraḥ |
Accusative | पुरम् puram | पुरौ purau | पुरः puraḥ |
Instrumental | पुरा purā | पूर्भ्याम् pūrbhyām | पूर्भिः pūrbhiḥ |
Dative | पुरे pure | पूर्भ्याम् pūrbhyām | पूर्भ्यः pūrbhyaḥ |
Ablative | पुरः puraḥ | पूर्भ्याम् pūrbhyām | पूर्भ्यः pūrbhyaḥ |
Genitive | पुरः puraḥ | पुरोः puroḥ | पुराम् purām |
Locative | पुरि puri | पुरोः puroḥ | पूर्षु pūrṣu |
Vār (neuter)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | वाः vāḥ | वारी vārī | वारि vāri |
Vocative | वाः vāḥ | वारी vārī | वारि vāri |
Accusative | वाः vāḥ | वारी vārī | वारि vāri |
Instrumental | वारा vārā | वार्भ्याम् vārbhyām | वार्भिः vārbhiḥ |
Dative | वारे vāre | वार्भ्याम् vārbhyām | वार्भ्यः vārbhyaḥ |
Ablative | वारः vāraḥ | वार्भ्याम् vārbhyām | वार्भ्यः vārbhyaḥ |
Genitive | वारः vāraḥ | वारोः vāroḥ | वाराम् vārām |
Locative | वारि vāri | वारोः vāroḥ | वार्षु vārṣu |
Nouns ending with s have various rules and various exceptions. Here, we are going to talk about two kinds of nouns ending with s: the first kind will be nouns ending with as, is and us6Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 71, §165, and the second kind will be nouns ending with "radical s" 7Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 74, §170.
To illustrate the declension pattern of nouns ending with as, is and us, below are the declension tables of sumanas ("well-minded"), sujyotis ("having a good light") and sucakṣus ("having beautiful eyes"). In the tables below, we highlighted in red the part of the word that changes due to declension:
Sumanas (masculine and feminine)
| Sumanas (neuter)
|
Sujyotis (masculine and feminine)
| Sujyotis (neuter)
|
Sucakṣus (masculine and feminine)
| Sucakṣus (neuter)
|
As you can see above, there are several changes to the prātipadika when it is attached to the endings. The changes are the following:
1) In cases with "no ending", final "as" becomes aḥ, except in the masculine and feminine Nominative singular, where it becomes āḥ.
2) The final "is" and "us" of the prātipadika followed by endings beginning with vowel are changed respectively to iṣ and uṣ.
3) In cases where the ending begins with "bh", "as" becomes "o"; and "is" and "us" become respectively "ir" and "ur".
4) In the Locative plural, "as" becomes "as" or "aḥ"; "is" becomes "iḥ" or "iṣ"; and "us" becomes uḥ or uṣ.
5) In the neuter nouns, in the Nominative/Accusative/Vocative plural, the final "as", "is" or "us" of the prātipadika becomes āṁs, īṁs or ūṁs, respectively.
Another example of a noun ending in "as" is chandas, which means "metre" or "metric science". Click here to see the declension table of chandas.
Nouns ending with "radical s" are compound nouns whose last member is a verbal root that ends with s. For example:
Supis means "well-walking" and is formed from "su", meaning "well", and "pis", which is a verb and means "to walk".
Sutus means "well-sounding" and is formed from "su", meaning "well", and "tus", which is a verb and means "to sound".
To illustrate the declension pattern of nouns ending with "radical s", below are their declensions of supis and sutus:
Supis (masculine and feminine)
| Supis (neuter)
|
Sutus (masculine and feminine)
| Sutus (neuter)
|
If you compare the declensions above with the declensions of nouns ending with is and us (like sujyotis and sucakṣus), there are the following differences:
1) The final "is" and "us" of the prātipadika followed by endings beginning with vowel are not changed.
2) The last "i" and "u" of the prātipadika become respectively "ī" and "ū" before all endings that begin with consonant.
3) In the neuter nouns, in the Nominative/Accusative/Vocative plural, the final "as", "is" or "us" of the prātipadika becomes aṁs, iṁs or uṁs, respectively.
Most nouns ending with h change the h to ṭ in the cases with "no ending" and in the Locative plural, and to ḍ before endings that begin with "bh" 8Müller, "A Sanskrit grammar for beginners", p. 78, §174. Also, in the Nominative/Accusative/Vocative of the neuter declension, they add the nasal ṁ before the final "h" of the prātipadika.
For example, the bases lih (meaning "licking") and guh (meaning "a hiding place"):
Lih (masculine and feminine)
| Lih (neuter)
|
Guh (feminine)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | घुट् ghuṭ | गुहौ guhau | गुहः guhaḥ |
Vocative | घुट् ghuṭ | गुहौ guhau | गुहः guhaḥ |
Accusative | गुहम् guham | गुहौ guhau | गुहः guhaḥ |
Instrumental | गुहा guhā | घुड्भ्याम् ghuḍbhyām | घुड्भिः ghuḍbhiḥ |
Dative | गुहे guhe | घुड्भ्याम् ghuḍbhyām | घुड्भ्यः ghuḍbhyaḥ |
Ablative | गुहः guhaḥ | घुड्भ्याम् ghuḍbhyām | घुड्भ्यः ghuḍbhyaḥ |
Genitive | गुहः guhaḥ | गुहोः guhoḥ | गुहाम् guhām |
Locative | गुहि guhi | गुहोः guhoḥ | घुट्सु ghuṭsu (or) घुट्त्सु ghuṭtsu |
There are two additional things to notice in the declensions that we just showed:
1) Notice that, in the declension of guh, the initial "g" becomes aspirated (that is, it becomes "gh") in the cases with "no ending" (Nominative/Vocative singular) and in the Locative plural. If you go back to the previous chapter, in the section named "Nouns that undergo aspiration throwback", you will find an explanation of why that happens.
2) Notice again that, in the declension tables of lih and guh, there are additional optional forms liṭtsu and ghuṭtsu for the Locative plural. This is the same situation that was explained in the declension of samrāj, in the section about "Nouns ending with j" in this chapter. The same Sandhi rule that we quoted in that section applies here:"A final ṭ before s must remain unchanged, and t may be inserted".