Pāḷi Roots - Part 2

How a root with object can be changed to root without object

1. Meaning        
There are many meanings of a root. When speaking on another meaning, the root without object (akammaka dhātu) can change to root with object (sakammaka dhātu). In return, sakammaka dhātu can change to akammaka dhātu.
1. Pañcahi kāmaguṇehi dibbati (He amuses with five sensual pleasures.)
 √Divu means play, sport, amuse (kīḷāyaṃ)
 √Divu-desire to win (jigīsāyaṃ)
 2. Paccāmitte dibbati (One desires to win against the enemy.)

2. Influence of a prefix

       Due to linking with various prefixes, an akammaka dhātu can become sakammaka dhātu and vice versa. 

So rājā bhavati.             (He becomes a king.) So sukhaṃ anubhavati. (He experiences happiness)So gacchati.                   (He goes.) So rājā purā nigacchati. (He departs from the king city.) 

Here, bhavati and gacchati are akammaka dhātus while anubhavati and niggachati are sakammaka dhātus.

3. Types of verb

 Due to different types of verb, some roots can become sakammaka or akammaka.

Present tense: Puriso odanaṃ pacati. (The man cooks the rice) [sakammaka]                  √Paca + a + ti

Passive sentence: Odano paccati        (The rice is cooked)         [akammaka]                   √Paca + ya + ti  > paccati

Active: Nāgo pākāraṃ bhindati. (The elephant breaks the encircling wall.)  
√Bhid + ṃ + a + ti > bhindati     [sakammaka]

Passive: Taḷākapāḷi bhijjati (The rows of lake is broken.)       √Bhid + ya + ti > bhijjati                  [akammaka]

The pākāra is the object here.Active: Rukkhaṃ chindati  (He cuts the tree)          [sakammaka] Passive: Rukkho chijjati     (The tree is cut)             [akammaka]

√Chid + ṃ + a + ti > chindati  ,   √Chid + ya + ti > chijjati

In the first example, the tree-rukkha is the object.

4. Different examples

Some roots are sakammaka or akammaka according to examples.

Sakammaka: Puriso maggaṃ gacchatiAkammaka  : Gambhīresu atthasu ñāṇaṃ gacchati Sakammaka: Dhammaṃ carati (He practises the Dhamma)Akammaka  : Tattha tattha carati (He walks here and there).

Here, the first gacchati has magga as an object, while the second does not has an object. The first carati has dhamma as an object, while the second does not have an object. 

Three types of strengthening (vuddhi)

1. The roots like √gup is always have strengthening (vuddhi) of the verb. There are two types of noun formation: gupita, gopita √Gup + e + ti > gopeti (to protect)

2. The roots like √paca, √tura will not have vuddhi except in the kārika (causative formation). √Pac + a + ti > pacati         √Tur > tar + a + ti > tarati  (hurry, quicken)

3. The roots like √khi(to be exhausted, to be wasted), √ji (to win/to conquer) have two types: with vuddhi, and without vuddhi.

i.) Without vuddhi

    √Khi + ya + ti > khiyati           √Khi + na > khīṇa

ii.) With vuddhi

    √Khi > e > ay > khiy + a + ti > khiyati (exhausted)    √Ji > e > jaya + ti > jayati (win/conquer)

Division by vowel (sara)

1. Suddhassara dhātu has only vowels, but no consonant. For example:          √I (to go), √u (to proclaim, to make sound) 

2. Ekassara dhātu: Only one vowel only, for example:         √Khā (to speak, to comprehend ), √pā (to drink)

3.  Anekassara dhātu: which has many sara, for example:        √Kara (to do, to make)

The ekassara dhātu has eight vowels (a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, e, o) as final vowel.

1. The ākāranta dhātu which has final vowel “ā” i.e.        √Yā (to go), √lā (to grasp, to take)

2. The ikāranta dhātu which has final vowel “i”  i.e.       √Khi (to decay), √ji (to win, to conquer), √ni (to lead)

3. The īkāranta dhātu which has final vowel “ī”   i.e.      √Pī (to take delight in), sī (to bind)

4. The ukāranta dhātu which has final vowel “u”  i.e.       √Khu  (to make sound), √du (to go), √ku (to make sound)

5. The ūkāranta dhātu which has final vowel “ū”  i.e.     √Bhū (to become), √hū (to become)

6. The ekāranta dhātu which has final vowel “e”  i.e.     √Khe (to exhaust, to destroy), √je  (to exhaust, to destroy)

7. The okāranta dhātu which has final vowel “o”  i.e.      √So (to make the end)

The anekassara dhātu has seven final vowel (a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, e)

1. The akāranta dhātu which has final vowel “a” like √kara (to do/to make), saṅgāma (to fight, to battle)

2. The ākāranta dhātu which has final vowel “ā” like √omā (to able)

3. The ikāranta dhātu which has final vowel “i” like √saki (to doubt)

4. The īkāranta dhātu which has final vowel “ī” like √cakkhī (to speak)

5. The ukāranta dhātu which has final vowel “u” like √ancu (to worship)

6. The ūkāranta dhātu which has final vowel “ū” like √kakkhū (to laugh)

7. ekāranta dhātu which has final vowel “e” like √mile (to bend body or limbs), √kile (to play)

In brief, there is 1 type of suddhassara dhātu, 8 types of ekassara dhātu and 7 types of anekassara dhātu. Total is 15 types of dhātu that are ending with vowel.

The difference between sarantadhātu and byañjanadhātu

Besides that, pakati dhātus are divided into two types: 

1. Saranta dhātu, 2. Byañjananta dhātu

       The Suddhassara dhātu and ekassara dhātu are only as saranta dhātu not as byañjananta dhātu (dhātu with consonant as final letter). By this grammar rule “dhātussanto lopo nekassarassa”, the last vowel generally is elided. That’s why, there is only byañjananta not saranta.

Notes: kile gile mile omā, cine hare ca saṃkase

           Ime ca aluttantāti , niruttiññuhi bhāsita

√kile (to play), √gile (to swallow), √mile (to bend the body or limbs), √omā (to able), √cina (to collect), √hara (to carry), √saṃkasa (to sit). These are not elided of last vowel. This is said by the Grammarian.

      The saranta dhātu as shown in the above ekassara dhātu has seven types from ākāranta dhātu to okāranta dhātu. (ā, i, ī, u,ū, e, o). 

           The byañjananta dhātu have 31 letters as final letters. They are called: kakāranta, khakāranta, gakāranta, ghakāranta , …….ḷakāranta.

(k,kh, g, gh, c, ch, j, jh, ñ, ṭh, ṭ, ḍ. ḍh, ṇ,  t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v, s, h, ḷ)

In brief, there are 7 kinds of saranta dhātu and 31 kinds of byañjanta dhātu. The total is 38 kinds. In Pāḷi letter, there is no root ending with ‘ṅ’ letter.

The variety with letters

Pakati dhātu has two types: 

1. Sarādi dhātu (root with vowel as initial letter), 

2. Byañjanādi dhātu (root with consonant as initial letter)

        The sarādi dhātu are dhātus with initial letter “a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, e, o”. These are called akārādi-dhātu, ākārādi-dhātu, ikārādi-dhātu, īkārādi-dhātu, ukārādi-dhātu, ūkārādi-dhātu, ekārādi-dhātu and okārādi-dhātu. The total is 8 kinds.

        Basically, the byañjanādi-dhātu (The root with consonant as initial letter) are 6 types. They are the roots with initial letter from kavagga (k-group), cavagga (c-group), ṭhavagga (ṭ-group) , tavagga (t-group), pavagga (p-group) and avagga (non-group). They are called 1. Kavaggādi-dhātu, 2. Cavaggādi-dhātu, 3.ṭhavaggādi-dhātu, 4. Tavaggādi-dhātu, 5. Pavaggādi-dhātu, 6. Avaggādi-dhātu.

       In detail, there are 31 consonant letters. 

Mate satthussa ḍhaṇaḷā, padādimhi na dissare

ṅ-kāro ca padādimhi, padante pi can labhate

      According to the Buddha’s teaching, there are no initial letter “ṅ” of Kavagga, “ḍh” and “ṇ” letter of ṭavagga and also “ḷ” letter of avagga (non-group). That’s why there is only 28 letters possible as initial letter of a root.

      In summary, there are 8 kinds of Sarādi-dhātu and 28 byañjanādi-dhātu. The total is 36 kinds. There is no root with initial letter with ‘ḍh’, ‘ṇ’ and ‘ḷ’. There is no “ṅ” as an initial letter and final letter of a root. 

The roots according to chapter (kaṇḍa)

At this dictionary, there are 7 chapters according to the mentioned categories.

1. Sarādi kaṇḍa has 161 roots

2. Kavaggādi kaṇḍa has 336 roots

3. Cavaggādi kaṇḍa has 181 roots

4. Ṭhavaggādi kaṇḍa has 28 roots

5. Tavaggādi kaṇḍa has 311 roots

6. Pavaggādi kaṇḍa has 376 roots

7. Avaggādi kaṇḍa has 532 roots.

The total is 1925.

Verb (Ākhyāta)

        To form a word, the root is joined with the ākhyata (verb) or kita (primary derivative). There, the ākhyata is combined with dhātu, vibhatti, paccaya and it shows kāla (time), kāraka (case) and  purisa (type of person). And it indicates the meaning of verb mainly. There is one type of verb commonly called as tyādyanta. It is free from gender.

Vibhatti (verbal termination) and paccaya (suffix)

         There are 8 types of vibhatti 1. vattamāna (present tense), 2. pañcamī (imperative), 3. sattamī (optative), 4. parokkhā (perfect tense), 5. hiyyattanī (past indefinite), 6. ajjatanī (past definite), 7. bhavissanti (future tense), 8.kālātipatti (conditional).

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