Today we will look at the form अब्राह्मणः mNs from महाभारतम् 1.92.13.

ययातिरुवाच
नास्मद्विधो ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्मविच्च प्रतिग्रहे वर्तते राजमुख्य । यथा प्रदेयं सततं द्विजेभ्यस्तथाददं पूर्वमहं नरेन्द्र ।। १-९२-१२ ।।
नाब्राह्मणः कृपणो जातु जीवेद्याच्ञापि स्याद्ब्राह्मणी वीरपत्नी । सोऽहं नैवाकृतपूर्वं चरेयं विधित्समानः किमु तत्र साधु ।। १-९२-१३ ।।

Translation – Yayāti said: O best of kings! A Brāhmaṇa, and that too only one who knows the Veda, accepts gifts; not men (Kṣatriyas) like us. O king! Previously I myself have always engaged in charity towards Brāhmaṇas, as it should be done (12). One who is not a Brāhmaṇa should never live a wretched life (accepting charity.) And solicitation is (like) the wife of a Brāhmaṇa who has conquered the world by (his) knowledge. (Meaning that – only such a Brāhmaṇa should engage in accepting charity.) I should never perform an action which has not been done before. Why indeed, desirous as I am of doing virtuous deeds there (in the land of karma)? (Meaning that – I should not perform such an action.) (13) 

(1) न ब्राह्मण: = अब्राह्मण: – Not a Brāhmaṇa.

अलौकिक-विग्रह: –
(2) नञ्‌ + ब्राह्मण सुँ । By 2-2-6 नञ्‌ – The negation particle नञ्‌ (meaning ‘not’) optionally compounds with a सुबन्तं (ending in a सुँप् affix) पदम् and the resulting compound is a तत्पुरुष:।
Note: The negation particle नञ्‌ belongs to the चादि-गणः (referenced in 1-4-57 चादयोऽसत्त्वे)। Hence it gets the designation निपात: by 1-4-56 प्राग्रीश्वरान्निपाताः and the designation अव्ययम् by 1-1-37 स्वरादिनिपातमव्ययम्।
Note: तत्सादृश्यमभावश्च तदन्यत्वं तदल्पता । अप्राशस्त्यं विरोधश्च नञर्था: षट् प्रकीर्तिता: ॥ The negation particle नञ्‌ may convey any of the following senses –
i) तत्सादृश्यम् – similarity to that which is being negated.
ii) अभाव: – absence of that which is being negated.
iii) तदन्यत्वम् – different from that which is being negated.
iv) तदल्पता – smallness of that which is being negated.
v) अप्राशस्त्यम् – non-praiseworthiness.
vi) विरोध: – opposite of that which is being negated.
In the present example the negation particle नञ्‌ conveys the sense of तत्सादृश्यम् – similarity to that which is being negated. अब्राह्मण: refers to one who is different from yet similar to a Brāhmaṇa. Hence the compound refers to a man and not an animal or an inanimate object.

(3) By 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् – the term नञ् gets the designation उपसर्जनम् because in the सूत्रम् 2-2-6 (which prescribes the compounding) the term नञ् ends in the nominative case. Hence the term नञ् 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.

(4) न + ब्राह्मण सुँ । अनुबन्ध-लोप: by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।
Note: ‘न + ब्राह्मण सुँ’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

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

(6) अब्राह्मण । By 6-3-73 नलोपो नञः – The letter ‘न्’ of the negation particle नञ्‌ is elided when followed by a final member of a compound.

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

The विवक्षा is प्रथमा-एकवचनम् ।

(7) अब्राह्मण + सुँ । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्।

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

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

Questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 2-2-6 नञ्‌ (used in step 2) been used for the first time in the गीता?

2. Where else (besides in अब्राह्मण:) has नञ्‌ been used in the verses?

3. Commenting on the सूत्रम् 2-2-6 नञ्‌ the तत्त्वबोधिनी says – इह ‘नलोपो नञः’ इत्यत्र विशेषणार्थो ञकारः। तत्फलं च नैकधेत्यत्रालोपः। Please explain.

4. The वृत्ति: of the सूत्रम् 6-3-73 नलोपो नञः (used in step 6) in the सिद्धान्तकौमुदी says – नञो नस्‍य लोप: स्यादुत्तरपदे। Commenting on this the तत्त्वबोधिनी says – ‘अलुगुत्तरपदे’ इत्यधिकारादिति भावः। Please explain.

5. Where has the सूत्रम् 7-4-54 सनि मीमाघुरभलभशकपतपदामच इस् been used in the verses?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“One who is not Rudra should not drink poison.” Construct a तत्पुरुष: compound for ‘one who is not Rudra’ = न रुद्र:।

Easy questions:

1. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the substitution ‘ए’ in the form वर्तते?

2. Where has the सूत्रम् 7-2-80 अतो येयः been used in the verses?