Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/153

 V. Compounds. Form of Compounds.

143

'blackish', nr-vdnt- 'manly'. From this sense is derived the use of the neuter ace. as an adverb of comparison, e.g. manus-vdt 'like Manus', 'as Manus did'.

236. The very rare suffix -vaya^ probably a noun in origin, seems to be found only in one numeral adjective, cdtur-vaya- 'fourfold', and one sub- stantive, drii-vdya- (AV.) 'wooden dish'.

237. The suffix -vala (cp. 179) seems to be used in the formation of secondary derivatives only in krsi-^ald- 'peasant' {krsi- 'tillage') and in the fem. nad-^ala- (VS.) 'reed-bed'.

238. The suffix -vin is used in forming nearly twenty possessive adjectives from stems ending in -a (which is lengthened), -a% -as; thus ubhaya-vin- 'partaking of both' {ubhdya-), astra-vin- 'obedient to the goad', yasas-vin- {KSI^ 'beautiful'. To the analogy of the derivatives from stems in -as is due the insertion of s in sata-s-vin- 'possessing a hundred'. The only derivatives from stems ending in any consonant other than j are dhrsad-vin- 'bold' {dkrsdt-) and vag-vin- (AV.) 'eloquent' {vile- 'speech'), both formed as in external Sandhi.

239. The only derivative of the suffix -vya forming names of relation- ship which occur in the Samhitas seems to be bkrstr-vya- (father's) 'brother's son'^

240. The suffix -sa forms eight or nine adjectives or substantives without in most instances changing the original meaning. The adjectives are ita-sa- 'variegated', babhlu-sd- (VS.) 'brownish', yuva-sd- 'youthful', and with possessive sense roma-sd- 'hairy'. The substantives are ahku-sa- m. 'hook', kdsma-sa- (AV.) m. or n. 'stupefaction' (?), kald-sa- m. 'jar', turvd-sa-, N. of a man, lopa-sd-^ m. 'jackal'.

V. COMPOUNDS.

Benfey, VoUstandige Grammatik p. 245 — 282. — Whitney, Sanskrit Grammar 1246—1316. — Reuter, Die altindischen nominalcomposita, ihrer betonung nach unter- sucht, KZ. 31, 157—232; 485 — 612. — Wackernagel, Altindische Grammatik, 21, Nominalkomposition, 1905 : cp. Bartholomae, IF. 20, 162—172 (Anzeiger).

241. Form of compounds. — The Vedic language has inherited from the Indo-European speech the power of combining words into a compound treated like a simple word as regards accent, inflexion, and construction. Both in the frequency and the length of compounds the Vedic language resembles that of Homer. In the RV. and the AV. no compounds of more than three independent members occur; and those which consist of three members are rare, such as ddabdha-vrata-pramati- 'superior-minded owing to unbroken observances', purva-kama-kftvan- 'fulfilling former wishes', mitho- avadya-pa- 'mutually warding off want', hdri-manyu-sayaka- 'stimulating the mettle of the bays'.

The two characteristic features of a compound are unity of accent and use of the uninflected stem in the first member (or members). There are, however, exceptions to both these rules. The Sandhi between the two numbers is occasionally different from that between words in a sentence. Occasionally also tmesis of a compound occurs ^ Generally speaking a

I The doubtful word vy-ainuv-in- (VS'.) seems to add -in to the present stem with interposed euphonic -v-.

ipitf-vya- 'father's brother', 'uncle', occurs in the later language.

3 Cp. Gustav Meyer, IF. i, 328.

4 Frequently in dual compounds, as dyava ha ksama 'heaven and earth'; occasionally in others also, as simai cic chepam for iunah- Hpam ; ndrd va sarnsam for ndra-iamsam ; saptd me sapid for sapid-sapta me.