Today we will look at the form शाखामृगः  mNs from श्रीमद्भागवतम् 10.67.11.

गायन्तं वारुणीं पीत्वा मदविह्वललोचनम् । विभ्राजमानं वपुषा प्रभिन्नमिव वारणम् ।। १०-६७-१० ।।
दुष्टः शाखामृगः शाखामारूढः कम्पयन्द्रुमान् । चक्रे किलकिलाशब्दमात्मानं सम्प्रदर्शयन् ।। १०-६७-११ ।।

श्रीधर-स्वामि-टीका
प्रभिन्नं मत्तम् ।। १० ।।

Gita Press translation – Drunk with Vāruṇī, He was singing (beautifully) with eyes swimming in intoxication and with His glowing body looked like an elephant in rut (10). Climbing up branches of trees the wicked monkey shook the trees and in order to attract notice loudly chattered (11).

शाखाचारी मृग: = शाखामृगः – a monkey (an animal which habitually moves among branches.)
Note: शाखाचारी itself is a उपपद-समास: explained as follows – शाखासु चरति तच्छील: = शाखाचारी – one who habitually moves among the branches. The compound शाखाचारी (प्रातिपदिकम् ‘शाखाचारिन्’) is then used in the following derivation –

अलौकिक-विग्रह: –
(2) शाखाचारिन् सुँ + मृग 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 ‘शाखाचारिन् 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 ‘शाखाचारिन् 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: ‘शाखाचारिन् सुँ + मृग सुँ’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

(4) शाखाचारिन् + मृग । 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) शाखामृग । By the वार्तिकम् – शाकपार्थिवादीनां सिद्धये उत्तरपदलोपस्‍योपसंख्‍यानम् – In order to explain compounds like शाकपार्थिव:, an additional provision is made to allow for the elision of the latter member of a compound (which itself is the prior member of the final compound.) In the present example the latter member ‘चारिन्’ of the compound ‘शाखाचारिन्’ is elided in order to explain the compound ‘शाखामृग’।
Note: A compound composed using this वार्तिकम् is referred to as a शाकपार्थिवादिसमास: or a मध्यमपदलोपिसमास:।

As per the सूत्रम् 2-4-26 परवल्लिङ्गं द्वन्द्वतत्पुरुषयोः, the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘शाखामृग’ is masculine since the latter member ‘मृग’ of the compound is masculine. The compound declines like राम-शब्द:।

The विवक्षा is प्रथमा-एकवचनम् ।

(6) शाखामृग + सुँ । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्।

(7) शाखामृग + स् । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-2 उपदेशेऽजनुनासिक इत् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

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

Questions:

1. Can you spot a शाकपार्थिवादिसमास: (मध्यमपदलोपिसमास:) in the last five verses of Chapter Thirteen of the गीता?

2. From which verbal root is the form गायन्तम् (प्रातिपदिकम् ‘गायत्’, पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्) derived?

3. In which word in the verses does the सूत्रम् 3-4-72 गत्यर्थाकर्मकश्लिषशीङ्स्थासवसजनरुहजीर्यतिभ्यश्च find application?

4. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the substitution ‘ई’ in the form पीत्वा?

5. Why doesn’t the सूत्रम् 8-2-42 रदाभ्यां निष्ठातो नः पूर्वस्य च दः apply in the form मत्तम् (प्रातिपदिकम् ‘मत्त’, पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्) used in the commentary?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“Śrī Hanumān was the most intelligent among all the monkeys.” Use the adjective प्रातिपदिकम् ‘बुद्धिमत्तम’ for ‘most intelligent.’

Easy questions:

1. From which verbal root is the form चक्रे derived?

2. Where has the सूत्रम् 6-1-103 तस्माच्छसो नः पुंसि been used in the verses?