Page:Vedic Grammar.djvu/136

I. ALLGEMEINES UND SPRACHE. 4. VEDIC GRAMMAR. -thi : agent. 157. As far as can be judged from the very few examples occurring, this suffix was used to form agent nouns. It is attached with or without a connecting vowel. The derivation of all the words which seem to be formed with this suffix is doubtful: át-i-thi- m. 'guest' (if from at- 'wander'); ud-ār-a-thí- adj. ‘rising'; me-thi- (AV.) m. ‘pillar' (mi- 'fix'). The neuters ásthi- (AV. VS., beside asth-án-) ‘bone' and sákthi- (beside sakth-án-) may be formed with the suffix -i. 126 -thu: action. 158. This very rare suffix, which is not found in the RV., appears only with the connecting vowel -a- (which in reality belongs to a present stem), forming masculine action nouns: ej-á-thu- (AV.) ‘trembling', vep-á-thu- 'quivering', stan-á-thu- (AV.) 'roar'. -na : action and agent. 159. This suffix is in the first place used, like -ta, to form past passive participles ¹; e. g. bhin-ná- from bhid- 'split'; but, unlike -ta, it is never added to the root with a connecting vowel or to a secondary conjugation stem. It is further employed to form a number of adjectives and masculine substantives, mostly accented on the suffix. It also forms a few feminine (-nā) and neuter substantives, all but one of the latter being accented on the root. The substantives have partly an abstract and partly a concrete meaning. A medial vowel never takes Guna, but a final vowel nearly always does. 1. The adjectives (f. -ā) are: áś-ná- ‘voracious', us-na- 'hot', u-ná- 'deficient', r-ná- ‘guilty', kṛṣ-ná- 'black', kṣo-ná- ‘immovable'(?), nag-ná- ‘naked', bradh-ná- 'pale red', só-na- 'red', śro-ná- and ślo-ná- (AV.) ‘lame', ślaks-ná- (AV.) 'slippery', svit-na- 'white', syo-ná- ‘agreeable'; compounded: an-āmṛ-ná- 'inviolable', á-rūkṣ-ṇa- (AV.) ‘tender', sadā-pr-ná- ‘always munificent'. 2. Substantives are: m. ghr-ná- 'heat', budh-ná- 'bottom', bhrū-ná- 'embryo', yaj-ñá- 'sacrifice', sye-ná- ‘eagle', ste-ná- ‘thief'; sam-pras-ná- 'question'; accented on root: ás-na- 'stone', kár-na- 'ear', vár-na- ‘colour', sús-na-, N. of a demon, sváp-na- 'sleep'. n. tŕ-na- ‘grass', dhá-na-² ‘booty', par-ṇá- ‘wing', vas-ná- 'price', síš-na- 'penis', su-ná- ‘welfare', śú-na- 'want', si-na- 'property'.-- f. trs-na- 'thirst', dhé-na- 'milch cow', sé-na- missile', sthi-na- 'post'. — -nas : action. 160. This suffix, which has the same meaning as -as and -tas, is used in forming a few action nouns which have mostly acquired a concrete sense. These are áp-nas- n. 'possession', ár-nas- n. 'flood', -bhar-nas-3 'bearing' (?), rék-nas- n. 'property left by bequest' (ric- 'leave'). With connecting vowel: dráv-i-nas- n. 'movable property' (dru- 'run'), pár-i-nas- m. abundance (př- 'fill'). It also appears in the agent noun dám-u-nas- adj. 'domestic', m. 'friend of the house' (dam-). -ni : action and agent. 161. This not very frequent suffix is employed to form m. and f. action nouns as well as agent nouns (adjectives and substantives). Either the radical vowel or the suffix may be accented; and the root in several instances takes Guna. The feminines have rarely an abstract sense, having generally acquired a concrete meaning. For a list of these see below 576. 2 Probably from dha- 'place'. 3 In sahásra-bharnas- 'thousandfold'.