Exercises: Case 3

Vocabulary

Prefixes: Forward and Backward

प्र

 

forward, in front

प्रति

 

back, again, opposite (to)

General vocabulary

हन्

???

kill, strike

The gerund of this word is hatvā, as you might expect.

ह्वे

ह्वयति

call, summon, challenge, invoke

This verb is said to belong to the a+ class. So, too, are all verbs with a medium or strong vowel. This fact is easier to understand if we think back to our old root system: the a+ class contains roots that do not weaken.

आह्वे

आह्वयति

provoke, challenge, invoke

Note that the prefix does not cause any great change in meaning here.

आहव

m

challenge; war, battle

This word can also be derived from ā-hu, which means "worship, praise, sacrifice." This double meaning is used powerfully by the poet Bhasa in one of his plays, which captures Duryodhana's death at Kurukshetra and offers him a sort of redemption.

Translation

Translate from English to Sanskrit. Some reminders:

• Words like "my" and "your" are not usually made explicit in Sanskrit.
• Use tatpurusha compounds where possible.
• Follow normal Sanskrit word order: address (case 8), subject (case 1), other nouns (cases 3-7), object (case 2), verb

Note that some words, like "mouth" in exercise 3, have multiple translations.

• They worship the man with (by means of) fruits and water.

• I see both of your hands with my two eyes.

  Use ubha as an adjective to "hand". "Eyes" should be in the dual here.

• You speak with your mouth.

• They see Krishna's blue face in the city.

• Like a wolf, that hero fight without hands.

• Having slept in the forest, the men wake up, and they lead me to the middle of the field without their bows.

  The verb for "lead" uses two case 2 nouns here: one for "me" and one for "field."

Translate from Sanskrit to English. These sentences are not from Sanskrit works. Note the flexible word order, and note that a single space or letter can cause a dramatic change in meaning.

• अयनं कृत्वा मया सह, वैरं कृष्णगजं पश्यति क्षत्रियः

• तदा दुर्योधनस्य व्यूढानीकं दृष्ट्वोपविशत्यर्जुनः

  Note that sandhi can make a sentence much more difficult to understand. vyūḍhānīkam is a tatpurusha compound, as you surely know by now.

• पूर्णमेव तव वक्त्रम्

• ओंकारो ऽव्यय इति मन्यन्ते नरा योगं कृत्वा

• ओंकारो व्यय इति मन्यन्ते नरा योगं कृत्वा

• गजा करैर् वृक्षस्य फलानि लब्ध्वा गच्छन्ति

• गजा करैर् वृक्षस्य फलानि लब्ध्वागच्छन्ति

• तावकेन पुत्रेण नगरं जयामः

• प्रगच्छति शरश् चापात्

• साक्षादेव पुत्रो म्रियते दुर्योधनस्य वैरहस्तेनेति स्मृत्वा क्रोधो जायते वीरस्य करणे

  Remember that karaṇa can also mean "heart" or "mind."

Translate from Sanskrit to English.

• न च सुखं पश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे

Answers

Translation

• (ते) फलैर् जलेन च नरं यजन्ति

• (अहं) उभौ हस्तौ नयनाभ्यां पश्यामि

  Note the alternatives available here. Another word for "hand" is kara. Other words for "eye" include netra and akṣa.

• (त्वं) वक्त्रेण भाषसे

• (ते) नगरे कृष्णस्य नीलवदनं पश्यन्ति

  Other words for "face" include mukha and vaktra.

• वृक इव स वीरो हस्ताभ्यां विना युध्यति

• नरा वने सुप्त्वा बोधन्ति, ते च चापैर् विना मां क्षेत्रस्य मध्यं नयन्ति

• Having gone on a journey with me (literally "having done a journey"), the warrior sees a hostile black elephant.

• Then having seen Duryodhana's arranged army, Arjuna sits down.

• Truly, your mouth is full.

• After doing yoga, the men think that the letter OM is eternal.

• After doing yoga, the men think that the letter OM is transient.

• The elephants go, having obtained the fruits of the tree with their trunks.

• The elephants come, having obtained the fruits of the tree with their trunks.

• With your own son we conquer the city.

• The arrow goes forth from the bow.

• Remembering that his son was killed by Duryodhana's hostile hand before his very eyes, anger is born in the hero's heart.

  The iti part of the sentence could be in quotation marks, as we've seen before, but this translation is more natural.

• And I see no happiness having killed my kinsmen in battle.

  Bhagavad Gita 1.31 (adapted)