Today we will look at the form नृत्यन्ति 3Ap-लँट् from श्रीमद्भागवतम् Sb11.3.32

क्वचिद्रुदन्त्यच्युतचिन्तया क्वचिद् धसन्ति नन्दन्ति वदन्त्यलौकिकाः ।
नृत्यन्ति गायन्त्यनुशीलयन्त्यजं भवन्ति तूष्णीं परमेत्य निर्वृताः ।। ११-३-३२ ।।

Gita Press translation “Sometimes they weep due to the anguish of separation from Śrī Hari, sometimes they laugh and rejoice and address Him (as if He were present by their side), indulge (joyfully) in dancing and singing, and sometimes thinking of the birthless Lord feel that they have reached the Supreme Person, and (thereby) become peaceful and silent. In this way their behaviour becomes altogether unconventional.”

नृत्यन्ति is derived from the धातुः √नृत् (दिवादि-गणः, नृतीँ गात्रविक्षेपे, धातु-पाठः #४. १०)

The विवक्षा is लँट्, कर्तरि प्रयोग:, प्रथम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्।

The ending ईकारः (which is an इत्) of “नृतीँ” has a उदात्त-स्वरः। Thus the √नृत्-धातुः is devoid of any indications for bringing in आत्मनेपद-प्रत्यया:। (Neither 1-3-12 अनुदात्तङित आत्मनेपदम् nor 1-3-72 स्वरितञितः कर्त्रभिप्राये क्रियाफले applies.) Therefore, as per 1-3-78 शेषात् कर्तरि परस्मैपदम्, the √नृत्-धातुः, in कर्तरि प्रयोग:, will take the परस्मैपद-प्रत्यया: by default. As per 1-4-99 लः परस्मैपदम्, 1-4-100 तङानावात्मनेपदम्, the nine प्रत्यया: from “तिप्” to “मस्” get the परस्मैपद-सञ्ज्ञा। So √नृत्-धातुः can take only one of these nine प्रत्यया: in कर्तरि प्रयोग:। Since the विवक्षा is प्रथम-पुरुष-बहुवचनम्, the प्रत्यय: will be “झि”।

(1) नृत् + लँट् । By 3-2-123 वर्तमाने लट्, the affix लँट् comes after a धातुः when denoting an action in the present tense.

(2) नृत् + ल् । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-2 उपदेशेऽजनुनासिक इत्, 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(3) नृत् + झि । 3-4-78 तिप्तस्झिसिप्थस्थमिब्वस्मस् तातांझथासाथांध्वमिड्वहिमहिङ् mandates the प्रत्ययः “झि” as the substitute for the लकारः। “झि” gets the सार्वधातुक-सञ्ज्ञा by 3-4-113 तिङ्शित्सार्वधातुकम् – The affixes of the तिङ्-प्रत्याहारः and the affixes that have शकारः as an इत् get the designation of सार्वधातुकम् if they are prescribed in the “धातो:” अधिकार:।

(4) नृत् + श्यन् + झि । By 3-1-69 दिवादिभ्यः श्यन्, the श्यन्-प्रत्यय: is placed after the verbal roots belonging to the दिवादि-गणः, when followed by a सार्वधातुक-प्रत्यय: that is used signifying the agent. This सूत्रम् is a अपवाद: (exception) to 3-1-68 कर्तरि शप्‌ ।

(5) नृत् + य + झि । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-8 लशक्वतद्धिते , 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः। See question 3.

(6) नृत् + य + अन्ति । By 7-1-3 झोऽन्तः, “अन्त्” comes in as a replacement for the झकारः of a प्रत्यय:।

(7) नृत्यन्ति । By 6-1-97 अतो गुणे, in the place of an अकार: which is not at the end of a पदम्, and the following गुण: letter, there is single substitute of the latter (the गुण: letter.)

Questions:

1. Where has 3-1-69 दिवादिभ्यः श्यन् been used in the first five verses of Chapter Eleven of the गीता?

2. In the verse can you spot a धातु: which is इदित् (has इकार: as a इत् in the धातु-पाठ:)?

3. After step 5, why didn’t the ऋकार: of the अङ्गम् “नृत्” take the गुणादेश: by 7-3-86 पुगन्तलघूपधस्य च?

4. In which word used in the verse has the शप्-प्रत्यय: taken the लुक् elision?

5. Where has the “आङ्”-प्रत्यय: been used in the verse?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“Sometimes a word has no etymology.” Paraphrase to “Sometimes no etymology of a word exists.” Use the feminine प्रातिपदिकम् “व्युत्पत्ति” for “etymology” and use √विद् (विदँ सत्तायाम् ४. ६७) for “to exist.” Use a word from the verse for “sometimes.”

Easy questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 8-4-62 झयो होऽन्यतरस्याम् been used in the verse?

2. Which सूत्रम् used in the steps in this example belongs to the “अङ्गस्य” अधिकार:?