Today we will look at the form अर्चनाय nDs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 10.83.8.

श्रीरुक्मिण्युवाच
चैद्याय मार्पयितुमुद्यतकार्मुकेषु राजस्वजेयभटशेखरिताङ्घ्रिरेणुः । निन्ये मृगेन्द्र इव भागमजावियूथात्तच्छ्रीनिकेतचरणोऽस्तु ममार्चनाय ।। १०-८३-८ ।।
श्रीसत्यभामोवाच
यो मे सनाभिवधतप्तहृदा ततेन लिप्ताभिशापमपमार्ष्टुमुपाजहार । जित्वर्क्षराजमथ रत्नमदात्स तेन भीतः पितादिशत मां प्रभवेऽपि दत्ताम् ।। १०-८३-९ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका
मा मामर्पयितुं संपादयितुं राजसु जरासन्धादिषूद्यतकार्मुकेषु सत्स्वजेया ये भटास्तेषां शेखरिता मुकुटवत्कृता अङ्घ्रिरेणवो येन । तेषां मूर्ध्नि पदं दधदित्यर्थः । तस्य श्रीनिकेतस्य चरणो ममार्चनायास्तु ।। ८ ।। सनाभेर्भ्रातुर्वधेन सिंहकृतेन तप्तं हृद्यस्य तेन मे ततेन तातेन लिप्तमभिशापं दुर्यशोऽपमार्ष्टुं परिहर्तुमृक्षराजं जित्वा रत्नं स्यमन्तकमुपाजहारानीतवान् । अथान्तरं मत्पित्रे रत्नमदात्, तेन स्वापराधेन भीतः स मे पिता प्रभवे श्रीकृष्णाय मामदिशत ददौ । दत्तामक्रूरादिभ्यः प्रतिश्रुतामपीत्यर्थः ।। ९ ।।

Gita Press translation – Rukmiṇī said: (Draupadī,) Jarāsandha and the other kings wanted that I should be given in marriage to Śiśupāla. They came armed for a fight to carry out this intention of theirs. But the Lord took me away from their midst even as a lion carries away its prey from a herd of goats and sheep. (It is no wonder that He should do so; for) even invincible warriors bear the dust of His feet on their crowns. (Dear Draupadī, I sincerely wish that) the lotus-feet of my Lord, the repository of all prosperity and beauty, may be available to me for worship (from birth to birth) (8). Satyabhāmā said: (Draupadī,) my father was sorely grieved at the death of his brother (Prasena); he, therefore, charged the Lord with Prasena’s murder. In order to wipe off this stigma cast on Him, the Lord vanquished the lord of bears, Jāmbavān, (in battle) and winning the jewel from him restored it to my father. Seized with fear on account of the false imputation made by him, my father bestowed the jewel on the Lord alongwith myself, even though he had affianced me to another (9).

The नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिकम् ‘अर्चन’ is derived from the verbal root √अर्च् (अर्चँ पूजायाम् १०. ३४०). Note: As per the गण-सूत्रम् (in the चुरादि-गण: of the धातुपाठ:) – आ धृषाद्वा – The verbal roots beginning from √युज् (युजँ संयमने १०. ३३८) and ending with √धृष् (धृषँ प्रसहने १०. ३८८) take the affix णिच् only optionally. In the case where the affix णिच् is not used, the affix ल्युट् is added directly to ‘अर्च्’।
Besides ‘अर्चन’ may also be derived from the verbal root √अर्च् (अर्चँ पूजायाम् १. २३२) in which case also the affix ल्युट् is added directly to √अर्च्। The steps in the derivation are similar to those shown below except that 6-4-51 णेरनिटि does not come in to the picture.

(1) अर्च् + णिच् । By 3-1-25 सत्यापपाशरूपवीणातूलश्लोकसेनालोमत्वचवर्मवर्णचूर्णचुरादिभ्यो णिच् – The affix णिच् is used after these words – “सत्य” ‘truth’ (which then takes the form of “सत्याप्” as exhibited in the सूत्रम्), “पाश” ‘fetter’, “रूप” ‘form’, “वीणा” ‘lute’, “तूल” ‘cotton’, “श्लोक” ‘celebration’, “सेना” ‘army’, “लोमन्” ‘hair of the body’, “त्वच” ‘skin’, “वर्मन्” ‘mail’, “वर्ण” ‘color’, “चूर्ण” ‘powder’ and the verbal roots belonging to the चुरादि-गणः।

(2) अर्च् + इ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-7 चुटू, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

= अर्चि । ‘अर्चि’ gets the धातु-सञ्ज्ञा by 3-1-32 सनाद्यन्ता धातवः।

(3) अर्चि + ल्युट् । By 3-3-115 ल्युट् च – (In addition to the affix ‘क्त’ prescribed by the prior सूत्रम् 3-3-114) the affix ल्युट् may also be used following a verbal root to denote in the neuter gender the sense of the verbal root as having attained to a completed state.

(4) अर्चि + यु । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-8 लशक्वतद्धिते and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(5) अर्चि + अन । By 7-1-1 युवोरनाकौ – The affixes “यु” and “वु” are substituted respectively by “अन” and “अक”। The entire प्रत्ययः is replaced as per the परिभाषा-सूत्रम् 1-1-55 अनेकाल्शित्सर्वस्य।

(6) अर्च् + अन । By 6-4-51 णेरनिटि – The “णि”-प्रत्यय: is elided when followed by an आर्धधातुक-प्रत्यय: which does not have the augment इट्।

= अर्चन ।

‘अर्चन’ 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।

The विवक्षा here is चतुर्थी-एकवचनम्।

(7) अर्चन + ङे । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्‌।

(8) अर्चन + य । By 7-1-13 ङेर्यः – Following a प्रातिपदिकम् ending in an अकार:, the affix “ङे” (चतुर्थी-एकवचनम्) is replaced by “य”।

(9) अर्चनाय । By 7-3-102 सुपि च – The ending अकारः of a प्रातिपदिकम् is elongated if it is followed by a सुँप् affix beginning with a letter of the यञ्-प्रत्याहार:।

Questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 3-3-115 ल्युट् च (used in step 3) been used for the first time in the गीता?

2. Commenting on the सूत्रम् 3-3-115 ल्युट् च the सिद्धान्तकौमुदी says – योगविभाग उत्तरार्थ:। Please explain.

3. In the verses, can you spot a word in which लुँङ् has been used?

4. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the यण् substitution in the form निन्ये?

5. Where has the सूत्रम् 7-2-114 मृजेर्वृद्धिः been used in the verses? Note: 7-2-114 मृजेर्वृद्धिः says – The इक् letter of a अङ्गम् consisting of the verbal root √मृज् (मृजूँ शुद्धौ २. ६१, मृजूँ शौचालङ्कारयोः १०. ३८६) takes a वृद्धिः substitute when a सार्वधातुक-प्रत्यय: or a आर्धधातुक-प्रत्यय: follows.

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“The worship of Śrī Gaṇeśa is performed on the fourth lunar day.” Use the adjective प्रातिपदिकम् ‘चतुर्थ’ (feminine ‘चतुर्थी’) for ‘fourth’ and the feminine प्रातिपदिकम् ‘तिथि’ for ‘lunar day.’

Easy questions:

1. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the letter ‘उ’ as a substitute in the form अस्तु?

2. Can you spot the affix ‘श’ in the verses?