Page:Sanskrit Grammar by Whitney p1.djvu/209

 482. Inflection. The inflection of the cardinal numerals is in many respects irregular. Gender is distinguished only by the first four.

a. one is declined after the manner of a pronominal adjective (like, below, 524); its plural is used in the sense of some, certain ones. Its dual does not occur.

b. Occasional forms of the ordinary declension are met with: thus, (loc. sing.),  (477 b).

c. In the late literature, is used in the sense of a certain, or even sometimes almost of a, as an indefinite article. Thus, (H.) a certain tiger;  on a certain day;  (H.) taking a stick in his hand.

d. two is dual only, and is entirely regular: thus, N. A. V.  (, Veda) m.,  f. n.; I. D. Ab. ; G. L..

e. three is in masc. and neut. nearly regular, like an ordinary stem in ; but the genitive is as if from (only in the later language: the regular  occurs once in RV.). For the feminine it has the peculiar stem, which is inflected in general like an -stem; but the nom. and accus. are alike, and show no strengthening of the ; and the is not prolonged in the gen. (excepting in the Veda). Thus:

f. The Veda has the abbreviated neut. nom. and accus. . The accentuation, and is said to be also allowed in the later language. The stem occurs in composition in  (B.) a bow with three arrows.

g. four has  (the more original form) in the strong cases; in the fem. it substitutes the stem, apparently akin with , and inflected like it (but with anomalous change of accent, like that in the higher numbers: see below, 483). Thus: