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. They add 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 English, where adjectives are usually placed before the noun they modify, in Sanskrit, they usually come after the noun.

Types of Adjectives

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

Attributive Adjectives

Attributive adjectives are used to describe the qualities of a noun or pronoun. They take the same gender, number, and case as the noun they modify. The table below shows 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)

Here is an example dialogue to illustrate the 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 that describes the noun "Rāmaḥ."

Predicative Adjectives

Predicative adjectives are used to predicate a quality of a subject. They occur in the predicate position in a sentence and describe the subject. Unlike attributive adjectives, predicative adjectives do not agree with the gender, number, or case of the noun they modify. The table below shows 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)

Here is an example dialogue to illustrate the 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" is the predicative adjective that predicates the quality of "Rāmaḥ."

Comparison of Adjectives

Adjectives can be compared to indicate superiority, inferiority, or equality. There are three degrees of comparison in Sanskrit: (Person 2 speaks Hindustani)

Comparative Degree

The comparative degree indicates a degree of superiority or inferiority between two things. The comparative degree in Sanskrit is formed by adding the suffix "तर" (tara) to the stem of the adjective. Here is an example dialogue to illustrate the comparative degree:

• Person 1: रामः सुंदरतरः कृष्णः है। (Rāmaḥ sundaratarah kṛṣṇaḥ hai. - Rama is more beautiful than Krishna.)
• Person 2: सही है। (Sahī hai. - That's right.)

In the example above, "sundaratarah" is the comparative degree of "sundara" which compares Rama's beauty to Krishna's.

Superlative Degree

The superlative degree indicates the highest or lowest degree of a quality. The superlative degree in Sanskrit is formed by adding the suffix "तम" (tama) to the stem of the adjective. Here is an example dialogue to illustrate the superlative degree:

• Person 1: राधा सर्वतमा आकाशगङ्गा विविधवर्णा चित्रपटिका भवति। (Rādhā sarvatamā ākāśagaṅgā vividhavarṇā citrapaṭikā bhavati. - Radha is the most beautiful woman.)
• 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 the day of Gita Jayanti, didn't you?)

In the example above, "sarvatamā" is the superlative degree of "sundara" which describes Radha as the most beautiful woman.

Positive Degree

The positive degree is the simple form of the adjective without any comparison. The positive degree is used to describe the quality of something without comparing it to anything else. Here is an example dialogue to illustrate the positive degree:

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

In the example above, "sundara" is in the positive degree which describes Sita's beauty without comparing it to anyone or anything else.

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 ...