Today we will look at the form सितसप्तम्याम् fLs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 7.14.22.

अयने विषुवे कुर्याद्व्यतीपाते दिनक्षये । चन्द्रादित्योपरागे च द्वादश्यां श्रवणेषु च ।। ७-१४-२० ।।
तृतीयायां शुक्लपक्षे नवम्यामथ कार्तिके । चतसृष्वप्यष्टकासु हेमन्ते शिशिरे तथा ।। ७-१४-२१ ।।
माघे च सितसप्तम्यां मघाराकासमागमे । राकया चानुमत्या वा मासर्क्षाणि युतान्यपि ।। ७-१४-२२ ।।
द्वादश्यामनुराधा स्याच्छ्रवणस्तिस्र उत्तराः । तिसृष्वेकादशी वाऽऽसु जन्मर्क्षश्रोणयोगयुक् ।। ७-१४-२३ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका
शुक्लपक्षे । अक्षय्यतृतीयायामित्यर्थः । हेमन्ते शिशिरे च मार्गशीर्षादिमासचतुष्टयेऽपि याश्चतस्रोऽष्टकास्तासु ।। २१ ।। संपूर्णचन्द्रा पौर्णमासी राका । न्यूनचन्द्रा सैवानुमतिः । तथा मासर्क्षाणि तत्तन्मासनामप्रवृत्तिनिमित्तानि नक्षत्राणि युतानि यदा स्युस्तदा । तदुक्तं त्रिकाण्ड्याम् – ‘पुष्ययुक्ता पौर्णमासी पौषी मासे तु यत्र सा ।। नाम्ना स पौषो माघाद्याश्चैवमेकादशापरे ।।’ इति ।। २२ ।। अनुराधा श्रवण उत्तराफाल्गुनी उत्तराषाढा उत्तराभाद्रपदा वा द्वादश्यां यदा स्यात् । आसूत्तरास्वेकादशी वा यदा स्यात्तदा च । जन्मर्क्षश्रोणयोगयुक् जन्मनक्षत्रस्य श्रवणस्य वा योगेन युक्तं दिनं यदा तदा । योगग्रहणं संबन्धबाहुल्यार्थम् ।। २३ ।।

Gita Press translation – He should (similarly) perform their Śrāddha at the time of the summer and winter solstices and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes; during the particular (seventeenth) astronomical division of time called Vyatīpāta; on the day when a Tithi (a lunar day) begins and ends without one sunrise or between two sunrises; during a lunar or solar eclipse; on a twelfth lunar day as well as during the period when the constellations known by the name of Śravaṇa, Dhaniṣṭhā and Śatabhiṣā are ascendant; on the third (lunar day) of the bright half of Vaiśākha as well as the ninth (lunar day) of the bright half of Kārtika; on the four Aṣṭakās (the eighth lunar days of the dark fortnight) during the seasons known by the name of Hemanta and Śiśira (the months of Mārgaśīrṣa, Pauṣa, Māgha and Phālguna); on the seventh (lunar day) of the bright fortnight of the month of Māgha; on the full-moon day (of Māgha) when the constellation called Maghā is ascendant; (nay,) even when the constellations associated with the name of Uttarā (namely, Uttarā Phālgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā and Uttarā Bhādrapadā) are ascendant; or when the eleventh lunar day (of any month) is conjoined with (any of) these (constellations); (and lastly) on any day when the constellation under which one was born or (the constellation of) Śravaṇa is ascendant (20-23).

(1) सिता चासौ सप्तमी = सितसप्तमी – the bright seventh (lunar day.)

अलौकिक-विग्रह: –
(2) सिता सुँ + सप्तमी सुँ । By 2-1-57 विशेषणं विशेष्येण बहुलम्‌ – A सुबन्तं (ending in a सुँप् affix) पदम् denoting a qualifier (adjective) variously compounds with another सुबन्तं (ending in a सुँप् affix) पदम् which denotes that which is qualified – provided both the सुबन्त-पदे refer to the same item – and the resulting compound is a तत्पुरुष:।

(3) By 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् – the term ‘सिता सुँ’ gets the designation उपसर्जनम् because in the सूत्रम् 2-1-57 (which prescribes the compounding) the term विशेषणम्‌ ends in the nominative case. Hence the adjective ‘सिता 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: ‘सिता सुँ + सप्तमी सुँ’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

(4) सिता + सप्तमी । 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) सित + सप्तमी । By 6-3-42 पुंवत्‌ कर्मधारयजातीयदेशीयेषु – A feminine adjective which does not end in the feminine affix ‘ऊङ्’ (ref. 4-1-66 ऊङुतः etc) and is formed from a masculine base denoting the same meaning becomes masculine-like when it is either the prior member of a कर्मधारय: compound or is followed by the affix ‘जातीय’ (ref. 5-3-69 प्रकारवचने जातीयर्) or ‘देशीय’ (ref. 5-3-67 ईषदसमाप्तौ कल्पब्देश्यदेशीयरः)।
Note: In the compound ‘सिता + सप्तमी’ the latter member ‘सप्तमी’ is a पूरणी (ordinal number) because it ends in the पूरण-प्रत्यय: (ordinal affix) ‘डट्’ (prescribed by the सूत्रम् 5-2-48 तस्य पूरणे डट्)। And since the सूत्रम् 6-3-34 स्त्रियाः पुंवद्भाषितपुंस्कादनूङ् समानाधिकरणे स्त्रियामपूरणीप्रियादिषु contains the exclusion अपूरणीप्रियादिषु it cannot be used here. Therefore the सूत्रम् 6-3-42 is necessary for bringing about पुंवद्भाव: in ‘सिता + सप्तमी’।

= सितसप्तमी ।

Note: As per the सूत्रम् 2-4-26 परवल्लिङ्गं द्वन्द्वतत्पुरुषयोः, the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘ सितसप्तमी’ is feminine since the latter member ‘सप्तमी’ of the compound is feminine.

The विवक्षा is सप्तमी-एकवचनम्।

(6) सितसप्तमी + ङि । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्‌।
Note: ‘सितसप्तमी’gets the नदी-सञ्ज्ञा by 1-4-3 यू स्त्र्याख्यौ नदी – A term ending in long ‘ई’ or long ‘ऊ’ gets the सञ्ज्ञा ‘नदी’ if it is used exclusively in the feminine gender. This allows 7-3-116 to apply in the next step.

(7) सितसप्तमी + आम् । By 7-3-116 ङेराम्नद्याम्नीभ्यः – The affix ‘ङि’, following a base ending in ‘नदी’ (ref. 1-4-3 यू स्त्र्याख्यौ नदी) or ‘आप्’ or following the term ‘नी’, gets ‘आम्’ as the substitute. 1-3-4 न विभक्तौ तुस्माः prevents the ending letter ‘म्’ of ‘आम्’ from getting the इत्-सञ्ज्ञा।

(8) सितसप्तम्याम् । By 6-1-77 इको यणचि।

Questions:

1. In which compound used in verses 10-20 of Chapter Seven of the गीता does the सूत्रम् 6-3-42 पुंवत्‌ कर्मधारयजातीयदेशीयेषु (used in step 5 above) find application?

2. Which other compound (besides सितसप्तम्याम्) used in the verses is a कर्मधारय: compound?

3. Which कृत् affix is used to form the प्रातिपदिकम् ‘समागम’ (seen in the compound मघाराकासमागमे in the verses)?

4. Which सूत्रम् justifies the formation of the compound पुष्ययुक्ता used in the commentary?

5. Can you spot a द्विगु: compound in the commentary?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“When Śrī Rāma went to the forest, king Daśaratha experienced intense anguish.” Use the verbal root √भू (भू सत्तायाम् १. १) preceded by the उपसर्ग: ‘अनु’ for ‘to experience.’ Construct a कर्मधारय: compound for ‘intense anguish’ = तीव्रा चासौ वेदना।

Easy questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-4-109 ये च been used in the verses?

2. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the लोप: (elision) of the letter ‘अ’ in the word स्यात्?