Today we will look at the form मेने 3As-लिँट् from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 3.1.9

यदा च पार्थप्रहितः सभायां जगद्गुरुर्यानि जगाद कृष्णः ।
न तानि पुंसाममृतायनानि राजोरु मेने क्षतपुण्यलेशः ।। ३-१-९ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका –
यानि वचनानि पुंसां भीष्मादीनाममृतायनान्यमृतस्रावीणि राजा धृतराष्ट्रो दुर्योधनो वा उरु बहु न मेने । क्षतो नष्टः पुण्यलेशो यस्य सः । न सुखकीर्तिधर्मादिहेतुः किंतु राज्यप्राप्तिमात्रहेतुः पुण्यलेश एवासीत्तस्यापि नष्टत्वादनादृतवानित्यर्थः ।।

Gita Press translation “When Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Preceptor of the universe, was sent by Yudhiṣṭhira to the Kaurava court, He spoke there words which were full of nectar to His devotees (Bhīṣma and others); but the king (Duryodhana) attached no importance to them, since all his stock of merits had been exhausted.”

Note: “attached importance” is the translation of “उरु मेने” = “बहु मेने” = “thought highly.”

मेने is derived from the धातुः √मन् (दिवादि-गणः, मनँ ज्ञाने, धातु-पाठः # ४. ७३) or √मन् (तनादि-गणः, मनुँ अवबोधने, धातु-पाठः # ८. ९)

The ending vowel (अकार: of “मनँ” and उकार: of “मनुँ”) gets the इत्-सञ्ज्ञा by 1-3-2 उपदेशेऽजनुनासिक इत् and takes लोप: by 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः। This vowel has a अनुदात्त-स्वर:। Thus by 1-3-12 अनुदात्तङित आत्मनेपदम्, √मन् takes आत्मनेपद-प्रत्ययाः। As per 1-4-100 तङानावात्मनेपदम्, the nine प्रत्यया: from “त” to “महिङ्” get the आत्मनेपद-सञ्ज्ञा। So √मन् can take only one of these nine प्रत्यया: in कर्तरि प्रयोग:।

The विवक्षा is लिँट्, कर्तरि प्रयोग:, प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्, hence the प्रत्ययः is “त”।

(1) मन् + लिँट् । By 3-2-115 परोक्षे लिँट्, the affix लिँट् (Perfect Tense) comes after a verbal root in the sense of the past not of today, provided that the action is unperceived by the narrator.

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

(3) मन् + त । 3-4-78 तिप्तस्झिसिप्थस्थमिब्वस्मस्तातांझथासाथांध्वमिड्वहिमहिङ् mandates the प्रत्ययः “त” as the substitute for the लकारः। By 3-4-115 लिट् च, a तिङ्-प्रत्यय: which comes in place of लिँट् gets the आर्धधातुक-सञ्ज्ञा। Therefore “त” gets the आर्धधातुक-सञ्ज्ञा। This prevents 3-1-68 कर्तरि शप्‌ (which requires a सार्वधातुक-प्रत्यय: to follow) from applying.

(4) मन् + एश् । By 3-4-81 लिटस्तझयोरेशिरेच्, when they come in place of लिँट्, the affixes “त” and “झ” take the substitutions “एश्” and “इरेच्” respectively.
As per 1-3-10 यथासंख्यमनुदेशः समानाम्, 1-1-55 अनेकाल् शित् सर्वस्य, “एश्” comes as a substitute for “त”।

(5) मन् + ए । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(6) मन् मन् + ए । By 6-1-8 लिटि धातोरनभ्यासस्य, when लिँट् follows a verbal root, there is reduplication of the first portion – containing a single vowel – of the verbal root which is not already reduplicated. But if the verbal root (that has more than one vowel) begins with a vowel, then the reduplication is of the second portion – containing a single vowel.

(7) म मन् + ए । By 7-4-60 हलादिः शेषः, of the consonants of a reduplicate (अभ्यासः – ref. 6-1-4 पूर्वोऽभ्यासः), only the one (if any) at the beginning is retained, the rest are elided.

(8) मेने । By 6-4-120 अत एकहल्मध्येऽनादेशादेर्लिटि, the अकार: of a अङ्गम् takes एकार: as the substitute and simultaneously there is लोप: (elision) of the अभ्यास:, when all the following conditions are satisfied:
(i) the अकार: is preceded and followed by a single (non-conjunct) consonant
(ii) the अङ्गम् is followed by a लिँट् affix which is कित्
(iii) in place of the first letter of the अङ्गम् there is no आदेश: (substitution) that is based on the लिँट् affix.

Note : By 1-2-5 असंयोगाल्लिट् कित्, a लिँट् affix which is not a पित् – does not have पकार: as a इत् – shall be considered to be a कित् (as having ककार: as a इत्), as long as there is no संयोग: (conjunction consonant) prior to the affix. Hence “एश्” is a कित्-प्रत्यय: here. This allows 6-4-120 to apply.

Questions:

1. The word पुंसाम् used in the verse is षष्ठी-बहुवचनम् of the प्रातिपदिकम् “पुम्स्”। Where in the गीता has this प्रातिपदिकम् been used in षष्ठी-एकवचनम्?

2. Where has 8-2-2 नलोपः सुप्स्वरसंज्ञातुग्विधिषु कृति been used in the verse?

3. Does 6-4-120 अत एकहल्मध्येऽनादेशादेर्लिटि (used in step 8 in the example) belong to the अधिकार: “भस्य”? Does it belong to the अधिकार: “असिद्धवत्”? Does it belong to the अधिकार: “अङ्गस्य”?

4. Can you spot a “णल्”-प्रत्यय: in the verse?

5. Can you spot a “ईट्”-आगम: in the commentary?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“Sita said to Ravana, ‘I don’t consider you worth even a straw.'” Use the neuter प्रातिपदिकम् “तृण” for “straw” and √मन् (दिवादि-गणः, मनँ ज्ञाने, धातु-पाठः # ४. ७३) for “to consider worth.” Use a word from the verse for “said.”

Easy questions:

1. Which सूत्रम् is used for the “याट्”-आगम: in the form सभायाम् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिकम् “सभा”, सप्तमी-एकवचनम्)?

2. Where has 6-4-3 नामि been used in the commentary?