Today we will look at the form बालघातिनी fNs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 10.6.2

कंसेन प्रहिता घोरा पूतना बालघातिनी । शिशूंश्चचार निघ्नन्ती पुरग्रामव्रजादिषु ।। १०-६-२ ।।
न यत्र श्रवणादीनि रक्षोघ्नानि स्वकर्मसु । कुर्वन्ति सात्वतां भर्तुर्यातुधान्यश्च तत्र हि ।। १०-६-३ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका –
कृष्णविषये शङ्कमानं राजानं प्रत्यविषये प्रवृत्ता सैव मरिष्यतीति सूचयन्नाह – न यत्रेति । यत्र श्रीकृष्णस्य श्रवणादीनि न सन्ति तत्रैव तासां शक्तिः, साक्षात्तस्मिन्नेव सति का शङ्केति भावः ।। ३ ।।

Gita Press translation – Despatched by Kaṁsa, the terrible demoness Pūtanā, who was given to (the practice of) killing infants, moved about in towns, villages, cowherdstations etc., killing infants (wherever she went) (2). Ogresses and others find their way only there where people, though devoted to their duties, do not practice the hearing etc., of the names and stories of Lord Viṣṇu (the Protector of devotees,) capable of exterminating the ogres (3).

बालान् हन्ति तच्छीला = बालघातिनी।

“घातिन्” is a कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिकम् (participle form) derived from the verbal root √हन् (हनँ हिंसागत्योः, अदादि-गणः, धातु-पाठः #२. २).

The (compound) प्रातिपदिकम् “बालघातिनी” is derived as follows:

(1) बाल + आम् + हन् + णिनिँ । By the 3-2-78 सुप्यजातौ णिनिस्ताच्छील्ये – When in composition with a सुबन्तं पदम् (a पदम् which ends in a सुँप् affix) which does not denote a class/genus, a verbal root may take the affix “णिनिँ” to express the meaning of a habitual/natural action.

Note: In the सूत्रम् 3-2-78, the term सुपि ends in the seventh (locative) case. Hence “बाल + आम्” gets the उपपद-सञ्ज्ञा here by 3-1-92 तत्रोपपदं सप्तमीस्थम्‌।

Note: The affix “आम्” is used here as per 2-3-65 कर्तृकर्मणोः कृति – To express the agent or the object (of an action), a nominal stem takes a sixth case affix when the nominal stem is used in conjunction with a term which ends in a कृत् affix. (This is what is called as कृद्योगे षष्ठी)।

(2) बाल + आम् + हन् + इन् । अनुबन्ध-लोप: by 1-3-2 उपदेशेऽजनुनासिक इत्, 1-3-7 चुटू and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(3) बाल + आम् + घन् + इन् । By 7-3-54 हो हन्तेर्ञ्णिन्नेषु – The हकारः of √हन् (हनँ हिंसागत्योः २. २) gets replaced by a letter of the कवर्ग: when followed by an affix with ञकारः or णकारः as an इत् , or when followed (immediately) by a नकारः।

(4) बाल + आम् + घत् + इन् । By 7-3-32 हनस्तोऽचिण्णलोः – The ending letter (नकार:) of the verbal root √हन् (हनँ हिंसागत्योः २. २) is replaced by a तकार:, when followed by a प्रत्यय: (other than “चिण्” or “णल्”) which is either ञित् or णित्।

(5) बाल + आम् + घात् + इन् । By 7-2-116 अत उपधायाः – A penultimate (उपधा) अकार: of a अङ्गम् gets वृद्धिः as the substitute when followed by a प्रत्ययः which is either ञित् or णित्।

We form a compound between “बाल आम्” (which is the उपपदम्) and “घातिन्” by using the सूत्रम् 2-2-19 उपपदमतिङ् – A सुबन्तम् (term ending in a सुँप् affix) having the designation “उपपद” (in this case “बाल आम्”) invariably compounds with a syntactically related term (in this case “घातिन्”) as long as the compound does not end in a तिङ् affix.

In the compound, “बाल आम्” is placed in the prior position as per 2-2-30 उपसर्जनं पूर्वम्‌ – In a compound a term which has the designation “उपसर्जन” should be placed in the prior position. Note: Here “बाल आम्” is the उपपदम् and hence it gets the उपसर्जन-सञ्ज्ञा by 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् – A term denoted by a word (in this case “उपपदम्”) ending in a nominative case in a सूत्रम् (in this case 2-2-19 उपपदमतिङ्) which prescribes a compound gets the designation “उपसर्जन”।

“बाल आम् + घातिन्” gets प्रातिपदिक-सञ्ज्ञा by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च – A word form that ends in a कृत्-प्रत्ययः or a तद्धित-प्रत्ययः and so also compounds gets the name प्रातिपदिकम्।

(6) बाल + घातिन् । By 2-4-71 सुपो धातुप्रातिपदिकयोः – A सुँप् affix takes a लुक् elision when it is a part of a धातुः or a प्रातिपदिकम्।

= बालघातिन् ।

Now we form the feminine प्रातिपदिकम् “बालघातिनी”।

(7) बालघातिन् + ङीप् । By 4-1-5 ऋन्नेभ्यो ङीप्‌ – The प्रातिपदिकानि that end in a ऋकारः or नकारः get the ङीप् affix in the feminine gender.

(8) बालघातिनी । अनुबन्ध-लोप: by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-8 लशक्वतद्धिते and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

The विवक्षा is स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्।

(9) बालघातिनी + सुँ । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्।

(10) बालघातिनी + स् । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-2 उपदेशेऽजनुनासिक इत्, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(11) बालघातिनी । By 6-1-68 हल्ङ्याब्भ्यो दीर्घात्‌ सुतिस्यपृक्तं हल् – A single letter affix “सुँ”, “ति” or “सि” is dropped following a base ending in a consonant or in the long feminine affix “ङी” or “आप्”।

Questions:

1. In the गीता can you find a तिङन्तं पदम् in which the following three सूत्राणि have been used – 7-3-54 हो हन्तेर्ञ्णिन्नेषु (used in step 3), 7-3-32 हनस्तोऽचिण्णलोः (used in step 4) and 7-2-116 अत उपधायाः (used in step 5)?

2. In which word in the verses, would the वार्तिकम् (under 3-2-5 तुन्दशोकयोः परिमृजापनुदोः) मूलविभुजादिभ्यः कः find application?

3. Which सूत्रम् is used to justify the use of a परस्मैपदम् affix in the form मरिष्यति (used in the commentary)?

4. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-4-110 अत उत्‌ सार्वधातुके been used in the verses?

5. Can you spot the affix तृच् in the verses?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“I hope that you are a vegetarian.” Paraphrase ‘vegetarian’ to ‘one who eats vegetables habitually’ (शाकानाहरति तच्छील:)। Use the अव्ययम् “कच्चित्” to express the meaning “I hope that.”

Easy questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-1-111 ऋत उत्‌ been used in the verses?

2. What is the पदच्छेद: of शिशूंश्चचार?