Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/120

 I. ALLGEMEINES UND SPRACHE. 4. VEDIC GRAMMAR. the dark', a kind of demon (mluc- 'set', of the sun), varī-vṛt-á- (AV.) ‘rolling' (vrt- 'turn'), sani-syad-á- (AV.) 'running' (Vsyand-), sani-sras-á- (AV.) 'decrepit' (srams- 'fall'), sari-srp-ó- 'crawling' (V srp-). IIO a. The suffix -a is by far the most frequent one used in forming derivatives from the root with a verbal prefix, being nearly always accented whether the noun ex- presses an action or an agent; e. g. anu-kar-á- (AV.) ‘assistance', abhi-droh-á- ‘eumity', ud-ān-á- (VS.) m. breathing upwards', ni-meș-á- (VS.) 'wink', praty-ā-śrāv-á- response', sam-gam-á-'assembly'; ati-yajá- 'sacrificing excessively', 'over-pious'. adhi-cankram-a- (AV.) 'climbing over', à-dardir-á- 'crushing', ut-tud-á- (AV.) 'rousing', pari-car-á- (AV. VS.) 'wan- dering', vi-bodh-á- 'wakeful', sam-gir-á- (AV.) 'swallowing', sam-jay-á- 'victorious' ¹. b. There are many words which have the appearance of ending in this suffix, though the root canuot be found elsewhere. They include several nouns of plants and animals. Examples are ukhá-2 (AV.) 'caldron', krodá- (VS. AV.) 'breast', khilá- (AV.) 'waste land', nakhá- ‘nail', pakṣá- ‘wing', vamsa- 'reed' 3. -a-ka : agent. 116. This suffix, which consists of the primary -a with the secondary -ka added, is in a few words used as a primary suffix forming agent nouns only: abhi-króś-aka- (VS.) 'reviler', piy-aka- (AV.) 'abuser', a class of demon, vádh- aka- (AV.), a kind of reed ('destructive'), sáy-aka- n. 'missile' (Vsi-); also pāv-aká- 'purifying', 'bright', which though always written thus is invariably to be pronounced pavāká-4. -ata : agent. 117. In a few adjectives the primary suffix -a with -tú added is attached to the strong form of the root, chiefly with the sense of the gerundive: dars- atá- 'visible', pac-atá- 'cooked', bhar-atá- 'to be tended', yaj-atá- 'to be adored', raj-atá-5 'silvery', hary-atá-6 'desirable'. -at and -ant: agent. 118. The suffixes -at and -ant are almost restricted to the formation of active participles. The former appears chiefly in the formation of present. participles of the reduplicating class, as dád-at- 'giving'; also in dás-at- 'wor- shipping', sás-at- 'instructing', and the aorist participle dáks-at- and dháks-at- from dah 'burn'. There are besides a few substantives originally participles, which have shifted their accent, formed with -at: vah-át- f. 'stream', vegh-át- (AV. VS.) f. ‘barren cow', vagh-át- m. 'sacrificer', srav-át- f. 'stream', saśc-át- m. 'pursuer'7. The suffix -ant is used to form the active participle of present stems (excepting those of the reduplicating class), of future stems, and aorist stems. Some of these have become independent adjectives: rh-ánt- 'weak',. pis-ant- 'spotted', brh-ánt- 'great', mah-ánt-8 'great', rús-ant- brilliant'; also the substantive d-ánt- m. 'tooth'9. dvay-ant- in á-dvay-ant- (RV¹.) 'not double- tongued' has the appearance of a participle of a denominative stem from dvi- 'two'. With the same suffix are formed the two pronominal stems i-y-ant- 'so great' ('making this', i-) and ki-y-ant- 'how great?' ('making what?' ki-). an- : action and agent. 119. Few words are formed with this suffix, and in some of them the root is doubtful. 1 Cp. LINDNER p. 35. 2 Also in ukha-cchid- (RV¹.) fragile as a of hári- bright'. pot', f. ukhá-. 6 Formed from the denominative stem 3 Cp. LINDNER p. 33, bottom. 4 -āka- also appears in the Proper Name nabh-āka-. 5 Probably from the root raj- 'colour'. 7 See below, Participial stems in at, 311 A. 8 With lengthened vowel in the stroug: cases. 9 See below, Participles in -ant, 313.