Page:Sanskrit Grammar by Whitney p1.djvu/325



824. the name of aorist are included (as was pointed out above, 532) three quite distinct formations, each of which has its sub-varieties: namely —

I. A (equivalent to the Greek "second aorist"), analogous in all respects as to form and inflection with the imperfect. It has two varieties: 1. the root-aorist, with a tense-stem identical with the root (corresponding to an imperfect of the root-class); 2. the -aorist, with a tense-stem ending in अ, or with union-vowel अ before the endings (corresponding to an imperfect of the -class).

II. 3. A, perhaps in origin identical with an imperfect of the reduplicating class, but having come to be separated from it by marked peculiarities of form. It usually has a union-vowel अ before the endings, or is inflected like an imperfect of one of the -classes; but a few forms occur in the Veda without such vowel.

III. A or  (corresponding to the Greek "first aorist"), having for its tense-sign a स्  added to the root, either directly or with a preceding auxiliary इ ; its endings are usually added immediately to the tense-sign, but in a small number of roots with a union-vowel अ ; a very few roots also are increased by स्  for its formation; and according to these differences it falls into four varieties: namely, A. without union-vowel  अ  before endings; 4. -aorist, with स् alone added to the root; 5. -aorist, the same with interposed इ ; 6. -aorist, the same as the preceding with स्  added at the end of the root; B. with union-vowel  अ, 7. -aorist.