Today we will look at the form समक्षम् nAs from रघुवंशम् verse 15-72.

तात शुद्धा समक्षं नः स्नुषा ते जातवेदसि ।
दौरात्म्याद्रक्षसस्तां तु नात्रत्याः श्रद्दधुः प्रजाः॥ १५-७२ ॥

टीका –
हे तात, ते स्नुषा सीता नः अस्माकमक्ष्णोः समीपं समक्षम् । ‘5-4-107 अव्ययीभावे शरत्प्रभृतिभ्यः’ इति समासान्तष्टच् । जातवेदसि वह्नौ शुद्धा । नास्माकमविश्वास इत्यर्थः । किं तु रक्षसः रावणस्य दौरात्म्यादत्रत्याः प्रजास्तां न श्रद्दधुः न विशश्वसुः ।।

Translation – “Sire, your daughter-in-law (Sītā) has been purified in fire in our very presence, but due to the wickedness of the Rākṣasa (Rāvaṇa), the subjects, here, did not put faith in that (purity) (72).”

लौकिक-विग्रह: –
(1) अक्ष्णो: समीपम् or अक्ष्णोर्योग्यम् = समक्षम् = Visibly (literally – ‘close to the eyes’ or ‘fit/appropriate for the eyes’) which means ‘in the presence of.’

अलौकिक-विग्रह: –
(2) अक्षि ओस् + सम् । By 2-1-6 अव्ययं विभक्तिसमीपसमृद्धिव्यृद्ध्यर्थाभावात्ययासम्प्रतिशब्दप्रादुर्भावपश्चाद्यथानुपूर्व्ययौगपद्यसादृश्यसम्पत्तिसाकल्यान्तवचनेषु – A अव्ययम्‌ (indeclinable) used in any one of the following meanings invariably compounds with a (syntactically related) term ending in a सुँप् affix to yield a अव्ययीभाव: compound –
(i) विभक्ति: – a case affix
(ii) समीपम्‌ – close by
(iii) समृद्धि: (ऋद्धेराधिक्यम्‌) – prosperity
(iv) व्यृद्धि: (विगता ऋद्धि:) – adversity
(v) अर्थाभाव: – absence of something
(vi) अत्यय: (ध्वंस:) – disappearance (passing away)
(vii) असम्प्रति – presently inappropriate
(viii) शब्दप्रादुर्भाव: – manifestation of a sound
(ix) पश्चाद् – following
(x) यथा (योग्यतावीप्सापदार्थानतिवृत्तिसादृश्यानि यथार्था:) – appropriateness, repetition, non-transgression of something, similarity
(xi) आनुपूर्व्यम्‌ – in orderly succession
(xii) यौगपद्यम्‌ – simultaneity
(xiii) सादृश्यम्‌ – similarity/resemblance. Note: यथार्थत्वेनैव सिद्धे पुन: सादृश्यग्रहणं गुणभूतेऽपि सादृश्ये यथा स्यादित्येवमर्थम्‌ – सादृश्यम्‌ is mentioned here again (even though it is already given as one of the meanings of यथा in (x) above) in order to allow compounding even when सादृश्यम्‌ is used in a secondary (adjectival) sense
(xiv) सम्पत्ति: (अनुरूप आत्मभाव:) – befitting state
(xv) साकल्यम्‌ – totality/completeness
(xvi) अन्त: – termination/end
Note: The term ‘वचन’ used at the end of the compound विभक्ति……वचनेषु connects with each one of the prior terms ‘विभक्ति’ etc in the compound.

(3) सम् + अक्षि ओस् । By 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् – A term denoted by a word ending in a nominative case in a सूत्रम् which prescribes a compound gets the designation ‘उपसर्जन’। Here the term ‘अव्ययम्’ in the सूत्रम् 2-1-6 ends in the nominative case. Therefore the अव्ययम् ‘सम्’ gets the designation ‘उपसर्जन’ by 1-2-43. Hence ‘सम्’ is placed in the prior position in the compound as per the सूत्रम् 2-2-30 उपसर्जनं पूर्वम्‌ – In a compound a term which has the designation ‘उपसर्जन’ should be placed in the prior position.
Note: ‘ सम् + अक्षि ओस्’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

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

(5) समक्षि + टच् । By the गण-सूत्रम् (in the शरत्प्रभृतिगण: of the गणपाठ:) ‘प्रतिपरसमनुभ्योऽक्ष्ण:’ – In a अव्ययीभाव: compound the तद्धित: affix टच् is prescribed following the प्रातिपदिकम् ‘अक्षि’ – provided ‘अक्षि’ is preceded by either ‘प्रति’, ‘पर’, ‘सम्’ or ‘अनु’ – and this affix टच् becomes the ending member of the compound. Note: The शरत्प्रभृतिगण: is referred to in the सूत्रम् 5-4-107 अव्ययीभावे शरत्प्रभृतिभ्यः।

(6) समक्षि + अ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-7 चुटू, 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः। The fact that the अङ्गम् ‘समक्षि’ has the भ-सञ्ज्ञा here allows the सूत्रम् 6-4-148 to apply in the next step. The अङ्गम् ‘समक्षि’ gets the भ-सञ्ज्ञा by the सूत्रम् 1-4-18 यचि भम् – Excluding the affixes that are सर्वनामस्थानम्, when any of the other affixes from ‘सुँ’ down to ‘कप्’ that begin with the letter ‘य्’ or अच् (vowel) follow, the base gets the भ-सञ्ज्ञा। Note: From ‘सुँ’ down to ‘कप्’ means any affix prescribed from 4-1-2 down to the end of the 5th Chapter of the अष्टाध्यायी।

(7) समक्ष् + अ । By 6-4-148 यस्येति च – When the letter ‘ई’ or a ‘तद्धित’ affix follows, the (ending) इ-वर्ण: (letter ‘इ’ or ‘ई’) or the (ending) अवर्ण: (letter ‘अ’ or ‘आ’) of the अङ्गम् with the भ-सञ्ज्ञा takes elision (लोपः)।

= समक्ष ।

(8) समक्ष + अम् । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्‌।

(9) समक्ष + अम् । By 2-4-83 नाव्ययीभावादतोऽम्त्वपञ्चम्याः – This सूत्रम् has two parts – (a) नाव्ययीभावादत: – following a अव्ययीभावः compound ending (ref. 1-1-72) in the letter ‘अ’ a सुँप् affix does not take the लुक् elision (which would have been done by 2-4-82 अव्ययादाप्सुपः) and (b) अम्त्वपञ्चम्याः – following a अव्ययीभावः compound ending (ref. 1-1-72) in the letter ‘अ’ a सुँप् affix – other than a fifth case affix – is substituted by अम्।
1-3-4 न विभक्तौ तुस्माः prevents the ending letter ‘म्’ of the affix ‘अम्’ from getting इत्-सञ्ज्ञा।

(10) समक्षम् । 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. Where has the compound ‘समक्ष’ been used (as part of a larger compound) in the गीता?

2. In which word in the verse has the affix ‘ड’ been used?

3. Which सूत्रम् justifies the use of a fifth case affix in the form दौरात्म्यात्?

4. Which कृत् affix is used to form the masculine प्रातिपदिकम् ‘विश्वास’ (used as part of the compound अविश्वास: in the commentary)?

5. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“In the presence of (close to the eyes of) Śrī Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa cut off Śūrpaṇakhā’s nose and ears.” Use the verbal root √छिद् (छिदिँर् द्वैधीकरणे ७. ३) for ‘to cut off.’

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“You insulted me in the presence of (close to the eyes of) everyone.” Use the verbal root √क्षिप् (क्षिपँ प्रेरणे ६. ५) preceded by the उपसर्ग: ‘अधि’ for ‘to insult.’

Easy questions:

1. In which word in the verse has the सूत्रम् 6-4-64 आतो लोप इटि च been used?

2. Can you spot the substitution ‘अनँङ्’ in the commentary?