Today we will look at the form वनस्पतेः mGs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् verse 10-63-32.

तस्यास्यतोऽस्त्राण्यसकृच्चक्रेण क्षुरनेमिना । चिच्छेद भगवान्बाहूञ्छाखा इव वनस्पतेः ।। १०-६३-३२ ।।
बाहुषुच्छिद्यमानेषु बाणस्य भगवान्भवः । भक्तानुकम्प्युपव्रज्य चक्रायुधमभाषत ।। १०-६३-३३ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका –
No commentary on these verses.

Gita Press translation – While he was (thus) discharging missiles again and again the Lord with His discus, keen-edged like a razor, cut off his arms like the boughs of a tree (32). (Even) as the arms of Bāṇa were being lopped off, Lord Śiva (the Source of the universe), took compassion on His devotee, approached Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Wielder of a discus) and submitted to Him (as follows) (34).

वनस्पतेः is षष्ठी-एकवचनम् of the (compound) पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिकम् ‘वनस्पति’।

(1) वनस्पति + ङस् । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्। As per the सूत्रम् 2-3-50 षष्ठी शेषे – A sixth case affix (‘ङस्’, ‘ओस्’, ‘आम्’) is used in the remaining sense, which is that of a syntactic relation – for example the relation between the owner and the owned – which is other than that expressed by a कारकम् (a participant in the action) and that of (only) the meaning of the प्रातिपदिकम् (nominal stem.)
Note: It is the qualifier (विशेषणम्) which takes the sixth case affix, and not the one qualified (विशेष्यम्)।
In the present example, the sixth case affix in वनस्पते: expresses अवयवावयविभावसम्बन्ध: – the relationship between a part (‘शाखा’) and the whole (‘वनस्पति’)। ‘शाखा’ (the bough) is being qualified by the relation to ‘वनस्पति’ (the tree) and hence ‘वनस्पति’ takes the sixth case affix.

Note: The प्रातिपदिकम् ‘वनस्पति’ gets the घि-सञ्ज्ञा by 1-4-7 शेषो घ्यसखि – When a short ‘इ’ ending or short ‘उ’ ending term – except for ‘सखि’ – does not have the नदी-सञ्ज्ञा then it gets the घि-सञ्ज्ञा।

(2) वनस्पति + अस् । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-8 लशक्वतद्धिते and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः। 1-3-4 न विभक्तौ तुस्माः prevents the ending letter ‘स्’ of the affix ‘ङस्’ from getting इत्-सञ्ज्ञा।

(3) वनस्पते + अस् । By 7-3-111 घेर्ङिति – When a ङित् (having the letter ‘ङ्’ as a इत्) सुँप् affix follows, then a अङ्गम् having the घि-सञ्ज्ञा takes the गुण: substitution. Note: As per 1-1-52 अलोऽन्त्यस्य, the गुण: substitution takes the place of only the ending letter (in this case the letter ‘इ’) of the अङ्गम्।

(4) वनस्पतेस् । By 6-1-110 ङसिँङसोश्च – In place of a preceding एङ् (‘ए’, ‘ओ’) letter and the following short ‘अ’ of the affix ‘ङसिँ’ or ‘ङस्’, there is a single substitute of the former (एङ् letter.)

(5) वनस्पतेः । रुँत्व-विसर्गौ by 8-2-66 ससजुषो रुः and 8-3-15 खरवसानयोर्विसर्जनीयः।

Questions:

1. In the first verse of which chapter of the गीता has a sixth case affix been used to express अवयवावयविभावसम्बन्ध:?

2. Where has the सूत्रम् 7-1-37 समासेऽनञ्पूर्वे क्त्वो ल्यप्‌ been used in the verses?

3. Can you spot the substitution ‘शतृँ’ (in the place of ‘लँट्’) in the verses?

4. Which कृत् affix is used to form the नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिकम् ‘आयुध’ (used in the compound चक्रायुधम् in the verses)?

5. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the augment मुँक् in the form छिद्यमानेषु?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“Having climbed the branch of a tree, Śrī Hanumān observed Sītā.” Use the verbal root √ईक्ष् (ईक्षँ दर्शने १. ६९४) preceded by the उपसर्गः ‘निर्’ for ‘to observe.’

Easy questions:

1. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the augment तुँक् in the form चिच्छेद?

2. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-4-71 लुङ्लङ्लृङ्क्ष्वडुदात्तः been used in the verses?