Today we will look at the form मध्याह्ने mLs from महाभारतम् 7.161.41.

पूजितस्तव पुत्रैश्च सर्वयोधैश्च भारत । वपुषातिप्रजज्वाल मध्याह्न इव भास्करः ।। ७-१६१-४१ ।।
भीमसेनं तु युध्यन्तं भारद्वाजरथं प्रति । स्वयं दुर्योधनो राजा प्रत्यविध्यच्छितैः शरैः ।। ७-१६१-४२ ।।
तं भीमसेनो दशभिः शरैर्विव्याध मारिष । दुर्योधनोऽपि विंशत्या शराणां प्रत्यविध्यत ।। ७-१६१-४३ ।।

Translation – Worshiped by thy sons as also by all warriors, O Bhārata, he (Aśwatthāmā) shone very brightly with his body like the sun at midday. King Duryodhana himself pierced with whetted shafts Bhīmasena who was battling towards Droṇa’s car. Bhīmasena, O respectable sir, pierced him (Duryodhana) with ten arrows. Duryodhana also pierced Bhīmasena in return with twenty arrows.

लौकिक-विग्रह: –
(1) मध्यमह्नः = मध्याह्नः – midday (middle of the day.)

अलौकिक-विग्रह: –
(2) मध्य सुँ + अहन् ङस् । By 2-2-1 पूर्वापराधरोत्तरमेकदेशिनैकाधिकरणे (A पदम् formed by adding a सुँप् affix to) either ‘पूर्व’ (front/prior part) or ‘अपर’ (back/latter part) or ‘अधर’ (lower part) or ‘उत्तर’ (upper part) optionally compounds with a (syntactically related) सुबन्तं (ending in a सुँप् affix) पदम् denoting a single substance/thing consisting of parts and the resulting compound gets the designation तत्पुरुष:।
Note: षष्ठीसमासापवाद: – The compounding prescribed by this सूत्रम् is a अपवाद: (exception) to the षष्ठी-समास: prescribed by the सूत्रम् 2-2-8 षष्ठी।

Note: सर्वोऽप्येकदेशोऽह्ना समस्यते – Any word – and not only ‘पूर्व’/’अपर’/’अधर’/’उत्तर’ – which denotes a part may compound with ‘अहन्’ to yield a एकदेशि-समास:। ‘६-३-११० संख्याविसाय-’ इति ज्ञापकात्‌ – We know this from the fact that the सूत्रम् 6-3-110 – which prescribes the optional substitution of ‘अहन्’ in place of ‘अह्न’ when followed by the affix ‘ङि’ and preceded by a numeral or ‘वि’ or ‘साय’ – presupposes the formation of the compound सायोऽह्न: = सायाह्न: – evening (the ending part of the day.) Similarly मध्यमह्न: = मध्याह्न:।

(3) By 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् – the term ‘मध्य सुँ’ gets the designation उपसर्जनम् because in the सूत्रम् 2-2-1 (which prescribes the compounding) the term पूर्वापराधरोत्तरम् (extended to include ‘मध्य’) ends in the nominative case. Hence ‘मध्य सुँ’ 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: ‘मध्य सुँ + अहन् ङस्’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

(4) मध्य + अहन् । 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) मध्य + अहन् + टच् । By 5-4-91 राजाह:सखिभ्यष्टच्‌ – Following a तत्पुरुष: compound ending in either ‘राजन्’ or ‘अहन्’ or ‘सखि’ the तद्धित: affix टच् is prescribed and this affix becomes the ending member of the compound.

(6) मध्य + अहन् + अ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-7 चुटू, 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम्, 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(7) मध्य + अह्न + अ । By 5-4-88 अह्नोऽह्न एतेभ्यः – When followed by the affix ‘टच्’ (prescribed by 5-4-91 राजाह:सखिभ्यष्टच्‌), the word ‘अहन्’ is replaced by ‘अह्न’ provided ‘अहन्’ is preceded by any one of the following –
i) ‘सर्व’
ii) a word denoting a part (of the day)
iii) ‘संख्यात’
iv) a संख्या (numeral)
v) a अव्ययम् (indeclinable)
Note: By 1-1-55 अनेकाल्शित्सर्वस्य, the entire term ‘अहन्’ is replaced by ‘अह्न’।
Note: एतच्छब्देन ‘अहःसर्वैकदेश-’ इति सूत्रस्थाः परामृश्यन्ते – The pronoun ‘एतद्’ (used in the सूत्रम् 5-4-88 अह्नोऽह्न एतेभ्यः) refers to the terms listed in the सूत्रम् 5-4-87 अह:सर्वैकदेशसंख्यातपुण्याच्च रात्रेः। But अहःशब्द इह न गृह्यते, असंभवात् – the word ‘अहन्’ is not included because it is not possible to compound ‘अहन्’ with ‘अहन्’ itself. ‘पुण्य’ is also not included because of the prohibition contained in the सूत्रम् 5-4-90 उत्तमैकाभ्यां च।

(8) मध्याह्न + अ । By 6-1-101 अकः सवर्णे दीर्घः।

Note: The अङ्गम् ‘ मध्याह्न’ has the designation ‘भ’ here by 1-4-18 यचि भम्। This allows 6-4-148 to apply in the next step.

(9) मध्याह्न् + 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 a अङ्गम् with the भ-सञ्ज्ञा takes elision (लोपः)।

= मध्याह्न ।

Note: Since ‘अहन्’ is neuter in gender, as per the सूत्रम् 2-4-26 परवल्लिङ्गं द्वन्द्वतत्पुरुषयोः, the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘ मध्याह्न’ would also be neuter in gender, but the सूत्रम् 2-4-29 रात्राह्नाहाः पुंसि intervenes.

(10) By 2-4-29 रात्राह्नाहाः पुंसि – The gender of a द्वन्द्व:/तत्पुरुष: compound ending in either ‘रात्र’ or ‘अह्न’ or ‘अह’ is always masculine.
Note: The सिद्धान्तकौमुदी makes the point that this सूत्रम् is a अपवाद: (exception) to not only the सूत्रम् 2-4-26 परवल्लिङ्गं द्वन्द्वतत्पुरुषयोः but also to the सूत्रम् 2-4-17 स नपुंसकम्‌।

मध्याह्ने is सप्तमी-एकवचनम् of the पुंल्लिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिकम् ‘मध्याह्न’।

(11) मध्याह्न + ङि । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्।

(12) मध्याह्न + इ । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-8 लशक्वतद्धिते and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

(13) मध्याह्ने । By 6-1-87 आद्‍गुणः।

Questions:

1. Can you spot a षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास: in the verses?

2. Where has the सूत्रम् 1-4-90 लक्षणेत्थम्भूताख्यानभागवीप्सासु प्रतिपर्यनवः been used in the verses?

3. Which कृत् affix is used to derive the form दुर्योधन: (प्रातिपदिकम् ‘दुर्योधन’, पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम्)?

4. Which सूत्रम् is used to derive the प्रातिपदिकम् ‘भास्कर’ (used in the form भास्कर: (पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम्) in the verses)? Hint: We have seen this सूत्रम् in a prior post.

5. In which word in the verses has the affix णिच् been elided?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“At midday one should mutter the Gayatrī.”

Easy questions:

1. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the सम्प्रसारणम् in the form प्रत्यविध्यत्? Which one prescribes it in the form विव्याध?

2. Why doesn’t the सूत्रम् 7-3-103 बहुवचने झल्येत्‌ apply in the form दशभिः?