Lesson 11 ---- To be or not to be that is the question Let's be familiar with the अस् धातु | | Lesson Index

                                                                      Lesson 11. To be or not to be, that is the question.

My life as a teacher is a particularly fulfilling one. Fortunately for me, i am not restricted by a narrow-minded, structured syllabus. i am free from the constraints of a dictatorial Educational  Board.  i have the liberty and the discretion to decide when to introduce a new concept depending on the brilliance of my students. Going by the responses that i have received, i think  i've real intelligent ones. And so i think it is time to introduce you to some mavericks in the Sanskrit verb world. Their independence is not difficult to fathom. How in the world does one stand out like a neon light if one is not different?!  But these verbs are important. (You'd think that that  reason would be more than sufficient to not feel the need to covet more attention! Those greedy fame seeking things.) And so we'll look in on them, one at a time, whenever the need arises.
Today's maverick is the verb अस् (अस्ति  to be)

 

                                               अस् ( अस्ति to be) present tense लट् लकारः |                                                            

पुरुषः	एकवचनम्	द्विवचनम्	बहुवचनम्
प्रथम	अस्ति	स्तः	सन्ति
मध्यम	असि	स्थः	स्थ
उत्तम	अस्मि	स्वः	स्मः

 

 

 

You'll recognize the verb forms quite easily. Last week's subhashita  had the verb अस्ति in it. Our Mahavakyas ... तत् त्वम् असि | अहं ब्रह्मास्मि ...have made us pretty familiar with the अस् धातु |

अहम् अस्मि |  I am .       अहं नृपः अस्मि | I am a king ( high hopes)
More likely....as all parents are... अहं सूदः (cook)  रजकः (washerman) अध्यापकः(teacher)  वैद्यः (doctor ) च अस्मि | 
त्वम् अपि सूदः रजकः अध्यापकः वैद्यः च असि किम् ? त्वम् असि | You are.

 

 

A छात्रः is a student.  आवां छात्रौ स्वः| युवां छात्रौ स्थः | तौ छात्रौ स्तः | वयं छात्राः स्मः | सचिनः छात्रः अस्ति |तत्र छात्राः सन्ति | ते छात्राः सन्ति | त्वं छात्रः असि | यूयं छात्राः स्थ |  Clear?

 

 

 

वृक्षः अस्ति | One tree is. वृक्षौ स्तः | Two trees are. वृक्षाः सन्ति | Many trees are. वृक्षः अत्र अस्ति | One tree is here. वृक्षौ तत्र स्तः| Two trees are there. वृक्षाः सर्वत्र सन्ति | Trees are everywhere. (Except where they have been felled to promote industries, which results in soil erosion...)

 

Anyone been watching Atom Ant on Cartoon network lately?  He is one strong ant  who is capable of doing superhuman things. He is introduced with the jingle.. He's here, he's there, he's everywhere.

सः अत्र अस्ति सः तत्र अस्ति सः सर्वत्र अस्ति !
रामः कुत्र अस्ति ?   रामः अत्र न अस्ति |  रामः अत्र नास्ति |   रामः अन्यत्र अस्ति | वायुः सर्वत्र अस्ति |  देवः सर्वत्र अस्ति | अहं सर्वत्र न अस्मि | अहं सर्वत्र नास्मि |  

       

That seemed fairly simple, did it not? So how about an absolutely new concept?

 

 

                                                     Over to exercises in 11 A. dealing with today's lesson.

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