The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit

S-STEMS

s-stems can be nouns or adjectives. Of s-stem nouns, the large majority are neuter; most non-neuters are bahuvrīhi adjectives with an s-stem as their last member. s-stems employ the same endings as other consonant stems (–› Chapter 15). There are stems ending in -as, -is and -us; the latter two differ from the first in their internal sandhi:

• – Before a vowel, -as remains as it is, while -is/-us turns into -iṣ/-uṣ according to the ruki rule (–› Chapter 9).

• – Before a voiced consonant, -as changes into -o, and -is and -us into -ir and -ur, respectively.

• – In word-final position, and before unvoiced consonants (i.e. the Loc PL ending -su), the -s in any s-stem turns into -ḥ-.

As in other consonant stems, masculine and feminine s-stem forms are identical to each other, and again, the neuter has separate forms only in the NOMVOCACC of all numbers. The following table compares the neuter s-stem मनस्- ‘mind’ (from √मन ‘to think’) with the masculine/feminine paradigm of the bahuvrīhi adjective सुमनस्- ‘good-minded, benevolent’. The neuter forms of सुमनस्- employ the same endings as the neuter noun मनस्-.

To illustrate the sandhi patterns of is- and us-stems, the neuter us-stem चक्षुस्- ‘eye’ and the adjective अचक्षुस्- ‘without eyes/sight; blind’ are given below. With the exception of the NOM SG MASC/ FEM (-āḥ vs. -iḥ/-uḥ), as-, is- and us-stems have the same endings and only show systematic differences in their internal sandhi.

Note:

– There is one formal difference between as-stems on the one hand and is-/us-stems on the other: the NOMVOC SG MASC FEM of as-stems ends in -āḥ, while that of is-/us-stems has a short vowel and appears as -iḥ/-uḥ, respectively.

– The NTR NOMVOCACC PL -āṃsi/-īṃṣi/-ūṃṣi can perhaps best be remembered in relation to the equivalent vowel-stem forms (-āni/-īni/-ūni); in front of the stem-final -s, the nasal turns into anusvāra -ṃ-.

IMPERATIVES

In English, the imperative expresses commands: ‘Pay attention!’ ‘Run!’ ‘Stop!’ Here, an imperative thus exists only in the second person, in which the speaker addresses someone directly. In Sanskrit, on the other hand, the imperative has a wider range of meanings and thus also a wider range of forms.