gāma patháḥ (RV.) may we not go away from the path; éti vā́ eṣá yajñamukhā́t (MS.) he verily goes away from the face of the sacrifice; āré asmád astu hetíḥ (AV.) far from us be your missile; pātáṁ no vṛ́kāt (RV.) save us from the wolf; ástabhnād dyā́m avasrásaḥ (RV.) he kept (lit. made firm) the sky from falling.
291. The ablative is used where procedure or issue from something as from a source or starting-point is signified: thus, çukrā́ kṛṣṇā́d ajaniṣṭa (RV.) the bright one has been born from the black one; lobhāt krodhaḥ prabhavati (MBh.) passion arises from greed; vā́tāt te prāṇám avidam (AV.) I have won thy life-breath from the wind; yé prā́cyā diçó abhidā́santy asmā́n (AV.) who attack us from the eastern quarter; tac chrutvā sakhigaṇāt (MBh.) having heard that from the troop of friends; vāyur antarikṣād abhāṣata (MBh.) the wind spoke from the sky.
a. Hence also, procedure as from a cause or occasion is signified by the ablative: this is especially frequent in the later language, and in technical phraseology is a standing construction; it borders on instrumental constructions. Thus, vájrasya çúṣṇād dadāra (RV.) from (by reason of) the fury of the thunderbolt he burst asunder; yasya daṇḍabhayāt sarve dharmam anurudhyanti (MBh.) from fear of whose rod all are constant to duty; akāramiçritatvād ekārasya (Tribh.) because e contains an element of a.
b. Very rarely, an ablative has the sense of after: thus, agacchann ahorātrāt tīrtham (MBh.) they went to the shrine after a whole day; ṭakārāt sakāre takāreṇa (APr.) after ṭ, before s, is inserted t.
292. One or two special applications of the ablative construction are to be noticed:
a. The ablative with words implying fear (terrified recoil from): thus, tásyā jātā́yāḥ sárvam abibhet (AV.) everything was afraid of her at her birth; yásmād réjanta kṛṣṭáyaḥ (RV.) at whom mortals tremble; yuṣmád bhiyā́ (RV.) through fear of you; yasmān no ’dvijate lokaḥ (BhG.) of whom the world is not afraid.
b. The ablative of comparison (distinction from): thus, prá ririce divá índraḥ pṛthivyā́ḥ (RV.) Indra is greater than the heaven and the earth. With a comparative, or other word used in a kindred way, the ablative is the regular and almost constant construction: thus, svādóḥ svā́dīyaḥ (RV.) sweeter than the sweet; kiṁ tasmād duḥkhataram (MBh.) what is more painful than that? ko mitrād anyaḥ (H.) who else than a friend; gā avṛṇīthā mat (AB.) thou hast chosen the kine rather than me; ajñebhyo granthinaḥ çreṣṭhā granthibhyo dhāriṇo varāḥ (M.) possessors of texts are better than ignorant men; rememberers are better than possessors; tád anyátra tván ní dadhmasi (AV.) we set this down elsewhere (away) from thee; pū́rvā víçvasmād bhúvanāt (RV.) earlier than all beings.
c. Occasionally, a probably possessive genitive is used with the comparative; or an instrumental (as in a comparison of equality): thus,
