Today we will look at the form सरीसृपम् nNs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 5.18.27.

यं लोकपालाः किल मत्सरज्वरा हित्वा यतन्तोऽपि पृथक्समेत्य च । पातुं न शेकुर्द्विपदश्चतुष्पदः सरीसृपं स्थाणु यदत्र दृश्यते ॥ ५-१८-२७ ॥
भवान्युगान्तार्णव ऊर्मिमालिनि क्षोणीमिमामोषधिवीरुधां निधिम् । मया सहोरु क्रमतेऽज ओजसा तस्मै जगत्प्राणगणात्मने नम इति ॥ ५-१८-२८ ॥

नन्विन्द्रादयो वशं नयन्ति लोकपालत्वात्कुतोऽहं तत्राह – यमिति । मत्सर एव ज्वरो येषां ते यं हित्वा द्विपदश्चतुष्पदः सरीसृपं जङ्गमं स्थाणु स्थावरं च यदत्र दृश्यते तत्किंचिदपि पातुं न शक्ताः । स त्वमेव प्राणरूपेण पालक ईश्वरश्चेत्यर्थः । तथाच श्रुतिः ‘ता अहिंसन्ताहमुकमस्म्यहमुकमस्मि’ इत्यादि ॥ २७ ॥ अवतारचरितमाह । भवानिमां क्षोणीं मया मनुना सह मत्सहितां धृत्वेत्यध्याहारः । ऊर्मिमालावति प्रलयार्णवे ओजसा क्रमते विचरति । यद्वा पातुमित्यस्यानुषङ्गः । क्षोणीं पातुं क्रमते । उत्सहत इत्यर्थः । यतोऽजः । कीदृशीम् । ओषधीनां वीरुधां च निधिमाश्रयभूताम् । तस्मै नमः । जगतो यः प्राणगणस्तस्यात्मने नियन्त्रे ॥ २८ ॥

Gita Press translation – Suffering from the fever of jealousy, the guardians of the (different) spheres (Indra and others) were unable without You (the life-giving principle) to protect the bipeds or quadrupeds, the mobile or the immobile creatures – (in short,) whatever is seen in this world – in spite of their striving severally as well as unitedly (27). Holding (by a cord) this earth – a storehouse of annual plants and creepers (etc.) – including myself (then known as Satyavrata) You, the birthless Lord, sported far and wide with (great) vigor in the ocean, that was, at the time of universal dissolution tumultuous with waves. Hail to such a Lord, the (inner) Controller of the multitudes of animate beings! (28)

सरीसृपम् is a frequentative/intensive form derived from √सृप् (सृपॢँ गतौ, भ्वादि-गणः, धातु-पाठः #१. ११३८).

सरीसृपीति (पुनः पुनर्भृशं वा सर्पति) इति सरीसृपम्।

(1) सृप् + यङ् । By 3-1-22 धातोरेकाचो हलादेः क्रियासमभिहारे यङ् – The affix “यङ्” is prescribed after a consonant-beginning mono-syllabic verbal root to denote an action done repeatedly or intensely.
Note: As per 3-1-23 नित्यं कौटिल्ये गतौ – Following a verbal root used to denote motion, the affix “यङ्” is prescribed only in the sense of crookedness (and not in the sense of repetition or intensity.) But according to some grammarians (particularly नागेशः) the affix यङ् may also be used क्रियासमभिहारे (in the sense of repetition or intensity) after a verbal root (like √सृप्) used to denote motion.
Note: “सृप् + यङ्” gets the धातु-सञ्ज्ञा by 3-1-32 सनाद्यन्ता धातवः।

(2) सृप् + यङ् + अच् । By वार्तिकम् (under 3-1-134) – अज्विधिः सर्वधातुभ्यः – The affix “अच्” may be used after any verbal root (to denote the agent/doer of the action.)

(3) सृप् + अच् । By 2-4-74 यङोऽचि च – The affix यङ् takes the लुक् elision when followed by the affix “अच्”। The use of च in the सूत्रम् indicates that the affix “यङ्” takes the लुक् elision variously (irregularly) even when not followed by the affix “अच्”।
Note: There is no change in meaning caused by this लुक् elision of the affix “यङ्”। Both “यङ्” and “यङ्-लुक्” convey the same meaning.
Note: The term “अच्” used in this सूत्रम् 2-4-74 refers to the affix “अच्” and not the प्रत्याहारः “अच्” (vowel.)
Note: As per the परिभाषा-सूत्रम् 1-1-61 प्रत्ययस्य लुक्श्लुलुपः the entire affix “यङ्” is elided.

(4) सृप् + अ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(5) सृप् सृप् + अ । By 6-1-9 सन्यङोः – There is reduplication of the first portion – containing a single vowel – of a verbal root ending in the affix सन्/यङ् 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.
Note: Even though the यङ्-प्रत्ययः is elided, it is considered as following the अङ्गम् by 1-1-62 प्रत्ययलोपे प्रत्ययलक्षणम्।

(6) सर् प् सृप् + अ । By 7-4-66 उरत्‌ – A ऋवर्ण: of the अभ्यास: (reduplicate) takes the अकारादेश: when a प्रत्यय: follows. By 1-1-51 उरण् रपरः , in the place of ऋवर्ण: if an अण् letter (“अ”, “इ”, “उ”) comes as a substitute, it is always followed by a “रँ” (“र्”, “ल्”) letter.

(7) स सृप् + अ । 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) स रीक् सृप् + अ । By 7-4-91 रुग्रिकौ च लुकि – When followed by a लुक् elided affix “यङ्”, the reduplicate (अभ्यासः) of a verbal root having a penultimate ऋकारः takes the augments “रुक्” and “रिक्” also in addition to “रीक्”। See questions 1 and 2.

(9) सरीसृप । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।
Note: 1-1-4 न धातुलोप आर्धधातुके stops the गुणादेशः which would have been done by 7-3-86 पुगन्तलघूपधस्य च।

Since the affix “अच्” has the कृत्-सञ्ज्ञा by 3-1-93 कृदतिङ्, “सरीसृप” gets प्रातिपदिक-सञ्ज्ञा by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च।

The विवक्षा is नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्।

(8) सरीसृप + सुँ । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्।

(9) सरीसृप + अम् । By 7-1-24 अतोऽम् – The affixes “सुँ” and “अम्” that follow a neuter अङ्गम् ending in the short vowel “अ” take “अम्” as their replacement. 1-3-4 न विभक्तौ तुस्माः prevents the ending मकार: of “अम्” from getting the इत्-सञ्ज्ञा।

(10) सरीसृपम् । By 6-1-107 अमि पूर्वः – In place of a preceding अक् letter and the following vowel (अच्) belonging to the affix “अम्” there is a single substitute of that preceding अक् letter.

Questions:

1. What would be the final form in this example if the augment “रुक्” were to be used instead of “रीक्”?

2. What would be the final form in this example if the augment “रिक्” were to be used instead of “रीक्”?

3. In the third quarter of the first chapter of the अष्टाध्यायी can you find a सूत्रम् (which we have not studied in the class) for justifying the use of आत्मनेपदम् in the form क्रमते?

4. What would be an alternate form for क्रमते?

5. Where else (besides in सरीसृपम्) has यङ्-लुक् been used in the commentary?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“I hope that there are no serpents in this garden.” Use the अव्ययम् “कच्चित्” to express the meaning “I hope that.”

Easy Questions:

1. Where has the प्रातिपदिकम् “इदम्” been used in the verses?

2. Can you spot the affix “तिप्” in the commentary?