Language/Sanskrit/Grammar/Adjectives

Sanskrit Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Sanskrit learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on Sanskrit adjectives. Adjectives are one of the most important parts of speech in any language, and Sanskrit is no exception. Mastering Sanskrit adjectives will help you express yourself more precisely and accurately. Let's dive in!

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Give your Opinion, How to Use "Be", Pronouns & How to Use Have.

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns, adding more information to a sentence to make it more precise and clear. For example, in the sentence "The blue sky is beautiful," "blue" is the adjective that describes the sky.

In Sanskrit, adjectives can take many forms depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun or pronoun they modify. Unlike in English, where adjectives are usually placed before the noun they modify, in Sanskrit, they typically come after the noun.

Types of Adjectives

There are two main types of adjectives in Sanskrit: Attributive and Predicative.

Attributive Adjectives

Attributive adjectives describe the qualities of a noun or pronoun and take the same gender, number, and case as the noun they modify. Below is the declension of the attributive adjective "sundara" (beautiful):

Sanskrit	Pronunciation	English
सुंदरः	sundaraḥ	beautiful (masculine)
सुंदरा	sundarā	beautiful (feminine)
सुंदरम्	sundaram	beautiful (neuter)
सुंदरौ	sundarau	beautiful (dual)
सुंदराः	sundarāḥ	beautiful (plural)

Example dialogue illustrating the use of an attributive adjective:

• Person 1: रामः सुंदरः है । (Rāmaḥ sundaraḥ hai. - Rama is beautiful.)
• Person 2: न हि। रामः कृष्णः है । (Na hi. Rāmaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ hai. - No. Rama is Krishna.)

In the example above, "sundaraḥ" is the attributive adjective describing "Rāmaḥ."

Predicative Adjectives

Predicative adjectives predicate a quality of a subject and occur in the predicate position in a sentence, describing the subject. Unlike attributive adjectives, predicative adjectives do not agree with the gender, number, or case of the noun they modify. Below is the declension of the predicative adjective "hṛṣita" (happy):

Sanskrit	Pronunciation	English
हृषितः	hṛṣitaḥ	happy (masculine)
हृषिता	hṛṣitā	happy (feminine)
हृषितम्	hṛṣitam	happy (neuter)
हृषितौ	hṛṣitau	happy (dual)
हृषिताः	hṛṣitāḥ	happy (plural)

Example dialogue illustrating the use of a predicative adjective:

• Person 1: रामः हृषितः अस्ति। (Rāmaḥ hṛṣitaḥ asti. - Rama is happy.)
• Person 2: पूर्वं अस्ति। अतः स अभी हर्षं न करोति । (Pūrvaṁ asti. Ataḥ sa abhī harṣaṁ na karoti. - He was happy before. Therefore, he does not show enthusiasm now.)

In the example above, "hṛṣitaḥ" predicates the quality of "Rāmaḥ."

Comparison of Adjectives

Adjectives can be compared to indicate superiority, inferiority, or equality, with three degrees of comparison in Sanskrit: Positive, Comparative, and Superlative.

Comparative Degree

The comparative degree indicates a higher or lower degree of quality between two entities, formed by adding the suffix "तर" (tara) to the adjective stem. Example:

• Person 1: रामः सुंदरतरः कृष्णः है। (Rāma

ḥ sundaratarah kṛṣṇaḥ hai. - Rama is more beautiful than Krishna.)

• Person 2: सही है। (Sahī hai. - That's right.)

In this example, "sundaratarah" is the comparative form of "sundara," comparing Rama and Krishna.

Superlative Degree

The superlative degree shows the highest or lowest degree of quality, formed by adding "तम" (tama) to the adjective stem. Example:

• Person 1: राधा सर्वतमा आकाशगङ्गा विविधवर्णा चित्रपटिका भवति। (Rādhā sarvatamā ākāśagaṅgā vividhavarṇā citrapaṭikā bhavati. - Radha is the most beautiful.)
• Person 2: सही है। आप गीता जयन्ती के दिन उसे देखा था, ना? (Sahī hai. Āp gītā jayantī ke din use dekhā thā, nā? - That's right. You saw her on Gita Jayanti day, didn't you?)

Here, "sarvatamā" is the superlative form of "sundara," describing Radha as the most beautiful.

Positive Degree

The positive degree is the basic form of the adjective, used without comparison. Example:

• Person 1: सीता चित्रपटिका भवति। (Sītā citrapaṭikā bhavati. - Sita is beautiful.)
• Person 2: हाँ। इसका कोई संदेह नहीं है। (Hāṁ. Iskā ko'ī sandeh nahīṁ hai. - Yes. There's no doubt about it.)

In this example, "sundara" in the positive degree describes Sita's beauty without comparison.

Wrap Up

Congratulations! You have learned about the different types of adjectives in Sanskrit, how to decline them, and how to compare them. To improve your Sanskrit Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• Negation
• How to Use Have
• Pronouns
• Gender
• Future Tense
• Questions
• Plurals
• How to Use Be
• Give your Opinion

Sources

• Adjectives | Learn Sanskrit Online
• Sanskrit nominals - Wikipedia
• Sanskrit Grammar (Whitney)/Chapter V - Wikisource, the free online ...