The distant past tense

Also known as: the perfect, parokṣe bhūta (“remote past”), liṭ

The distant past tense usually describes historical or legendary events:

• नी → निनाय
  nī → nināya
  lead → led (long ago)
  

Certain types of Sanskrit literature use the distant past tense often. For example, the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata both use the distant past tense extensively.

The distant past tense uses many irregular forms. So in this lesson, we will focus just on its most common patterns.

Strong and weak stems

The distant past tense has two stems: a strong stem and a weak stem. We use the strong stem with singular parasmaipada endings:

• निनी + अ → निनाय
  ninī + a → nināya
  someone led (long ago, parasmaipada)
  

And the weak stem with all other endings:

• निनी + उः → निन्युः
  ninī + uḥ → ninyuḥ
  they led (long ago, parasmaipada)
  

• निनी + इरे → निन्यिरे
  ninī + ire → ninyire
  they led (long ago, ātmanepada)
  

Rules of doubling

Also known as: dvitva

Generally, we make the stem of this tense-mood by doubling the root. Then we apply some basic rules to simplify the first copy of the root.

Although each of these rules is basic, there are quite a few of them. As usual, we recommend that you don't waste time memorizing these rules. Instead, simply get a feel for the kinds of changes that occur. As you read more Sanskrit, you will naturally start to assimilate and internalize them.

When doubling, long vowels become short:

• दा दा → ददा
  dā dā → dadā
  give
  

• नी नी → निनी
  nī nī → ninī
  lead
  

Aspirated sounds become unaspirated:

• धा धा → दधा
  dhā dhā → dadhā
  place
  

All consonants after the double's vowel are removed:

• बुध् बुध् → बुबुध्
  budh budh → bubudh
  awaken
  

• अस् अस् → आस्
  as as → ās
  be, exist
  

And if a root starts in multiple consonants, only one of them is kept. We usually keep the second consonant:

• स्तु स्तु → तुष्टु
  stu stu → tuṣṭu
  praise
  

• स्था स्था → तस्था
  sthā sthā → tasthā
  stand
  

But if the second consonant is nasal, we keep the first:

• स्मृ स्मृ → सस्मृ
  smṛ smṛ → sasmṛ
  remember
  

Sounds pronounced at the soft palate (ka) shift to the hard palate (ca):

• गा गा → जगा
  gā gā → jagā
  sing
  

ṛ, ṝ, and ḷ become a:

• कृ कृ → चकृ
  kṛ kṛ → cakṛ
  do
  

• तॄ तॄ → ततॄ
  tṝ tṝ → tatṝ
  cross
  

• कॢप् → चकॢप्
  kḷp → cakḷp
  be fit for
  

Roots that allow samprasāraṇa will use it:

• वच् वच् → उवच्
  vac vac → uvac
  speak
  

• यज् यज् → इयज्
  yaj yaj → iyaj
  sacrifice
  

• वद् वद् → उवद्
  vad vad → uvad
  say
  

Finally, here is a common exception:

• भू → बभू
  bhū → babhū
  become
  

There are various other small rules. But these are the basic patterns. Rather than memorize these changes, read over the examples above and get a basic feeling for what kinds of sound changes occur.

Making the stem

Roots with one vowel generally use the doubling procedure we described above:

• कृ → चकृ
  kṛ → cakṛ
  do
  

For the weak stem, some roots lose their vowel completely. Here are some common examples:

• जजन् + ए → जज्ञे
  jajan + e → jajñe
  was born
  

• जगम् + उः → जग्मुः
  jagam + uḥ → jagmuḥ
  they went
  

Roots that allow samprasāraṇa will use it again:

• उवच् → उ + उच् → ऊचुः
  uvac → u + uc → ūcuḥ
  the spoke
  

• इयज् → इ + इज् → ईजुः
  iyaj → i + ij → ījuḥ
  they sacrificed
  

• उवद् → उ + उद् → ऊदुः
  uvad → u + ud → ūduḥ
  they said
  

Under very specific conditions, we may also get this weak stem:

• शक् → शेकुः
  śak → śekuḥ
  they were able
  

• मन् → मेनिरे
  man → menire
  they thought
  

The specific conditions are:

1. The root vowel is a.

2. a has exactly one consonant on either side of it.

3. The doubled root starts with the same sound as the original root.

To make these conditions clear, here are some examples of roots that violate these conditions. Since they violate these conditions, they use the normal weak stem we described above:

• शुच् → शुशुचुः
  śuc → śuśucuḥ
  They grieved.
  (violates condition 1 because the root vowel is not a.)

• नन्द् → ननन्दुः
  nand → nananduḥ
  They delighted.
  (violates condition 2 because a is followed by two consonants)

• गण् → जगणुः
  gaṇ → jagaṇuḥ
  They counted.
  (violates condition 3 because the double does not start with g.)

A special form for derived roots

For derived roots and roots in the cur class, we use a simple procedure. First, we add -ām to the root:

• बोधि → बोधयाम्
  bodhi → bodhayām
  wake someone up
  

Then, we use this result with the roots kṛ, bhū, or as:

• बोधयाञ्चकार
  bodhayāñcakāra
  woke (someone) up
  

• बोधयाम्बभूव
  bodhayāmbabhūva
  woke (someone) up
  

• बोधयामास
  bodhayāmāsa
  woke (someone) up
  

You might also see these results written as separate words:

• बोधयां चकार
  bodhayāṃ cakāra
  woke (someone) up
  

• बोधयां बभूव
  bodhayāṃ babhūva
  woke (someone) up
  

• बोधयाम् आस
  bodhayām āsa
  woke (someone) up
  

Adding parasmaipada endings

The distant past tense uses special parasmaipada endings:

If the parasmaipada ending is singular, we use the strong stem. Otherwise, we use the weak stem.

The -a endings in the singular cause an unusual change. Roots that end in vowels usually strengthen to the strongest level:

• नी → निनाय
  nī → nināya
  lead → led
  

• कृ → चकार
  kṛ → cakāra
  do → did
  

And roots whose second to last sound is a vowel strengthen that vowel to e, o, or ā:

• विश् → विवेश
  viś → viveśa
  enter → entered
  

• शुच् → शुशोच
  śuc → śuśoca
  grieve → grieved
  

• हस् → जहास
  has → jahāsa
  laugh → laughed
  

The first-person singular a has an optional form that uses a medium level of strengthening:

• कृ → चकार, चकर
  kṛ → cakāra, cakara
  do → I did (long ago)
  

To make these endings clear, here are the forms of the root kṛ:

But if the root ends in -ā, we use the ending -au in the singular instead of -a. To make this clear, here are the forms of the root sthā. Note that sthā also has an optional version in the second-person singular:

Adding ātmanepada endings

We generally use the standard ātmanepada endings of the present tense. The exceptions are the new endings e and ire in the third person:

Again, here are the forms of the root kṛ:

Note the change from dhve to ḍhve, which is common in the distant past tense.

Review

The distant past tense has many complicated patterns. The best way to get used to it, as usual, is to read a lot of Sanskrit.

But if you are feeling overwhelmed by the number of details here, here are the simple essentials you can remember and use:

1. You can usually recognize this tense by its doubled sound. You don't need to remember the details of how the stem is formed or how the doubling is done, as long as you can recognize that something has been doubled.

2. This tense is almost always used in the third person, and its singular and plural forms are by far the most common. You can ignore the other endings for now.

3. The context of the sentence will help make the meaning of the verb clear.