Today we will look at the form सुप्रजाः mNs from रघुवंशम् 8.32.

स कदाचिदवेक्षितप्रजः सह देव्या विजहार सुप्रजाः । नगरोपवने शचीसखो मरुतां पालयितेव नन्दने ॥ ८-३२ ॥

मल्लिनाथ-टीका
स इति । अवेक्षितप्रजोऽकुतोभयत्वेनानुसंहितप्रजः । न केवलं स्त्रैण इति भाव: । शोभना प्रजा यस्यासौ सुप्रजाः सुपुत्रवान् । ‘नित्यमसिच्प्रजामेधयोः’ इत्यसिच्प्रत्ययः । पुत्रन्यस्तभार इति भावः । सोऽजः कदाचिद्देव्या महिष्येन्दुमत्या सह नगरोपवने । नन्दने नन्दनाख्येऽमरावत्युपकण्ठवने शचीसखः । शच्या सहेत्यर्थः । मरुतां देवानां पालयितेन्द्र इव विजहार चिक्रीड ।। ३२ ।।

Translation – Once upon a time, he (the king Aja) who looked after his subjects, and who had a fine son, sported with his queen (Indumatī) in the city garden, like Indra (the protector of the gods) with Ṡaci in his company (sports) in the Nandana garden.

(1) सु (शोभना) प्रजा यस्य स: = सुप्रजा: – He whose offspring is good.

(2) सु + प्रजा सुँ । By 2-2-24 अनेकमन्यपदार्थे – Two or more terms having the designation पदम् and ending in the nominative case may optionally compound to yield a बहुव्रीहि: compound provided the terms are employed to denote the sense of another पदम् (which is not part of the compound.)

(3) The adjective ‘सु’ (meaning ‘शोभना’) is placed in the prior position in the compound as per the सूत्रम् 2-2-35 सप्तमीविशेषणे बहुव्रीहौ – In a बहुव्रीहि: compound the पदम् which ends in a seventh case affix or is an adjective takes the prior position.

Note: ‘सु + प्रजा सुँ’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

(4) सु + प्रजा । 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) सुप्रजा + असिँच् । By 5-4-122 नित्यमसिच् प्रजामेधयोः – Following a बहुव्रीहि: compound whose latter member is either ‘प्रजा’ or ‘मेधा’ and whose prior member is either (the negation particle) ‘नञ्’ or ‘दुस्’ or ‘सु’ the तद्धित: affix असिँच् is prescribed and this affix becomes the ending member of the compound.

See questions 2 and 3.

(6) सुप्रजा + अस् । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-2 उपदेशेऽजनुनासिक इत्, 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।

Note: The अङ्गम् ‘सुप्रजा’ has the भ-सञ्ज्ञा here as per the सूत्रम् 1-4-18 यचि भम्। This allows the सूत्रम् 6-4-148 to apply in the next step.

(7) सुप्रज् + अस् । 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)।

= सुप्रजस् ।

The gender of a बहुव्रीहि: compound matches that of which it qualifies. In the present example स: (the king) is being qualified. Hence we assign the masculine gender to the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘सुप्रजस्’। It declines like ‘वेधस्’-शब्द:।

The विवक्षा is प्रथमा-एकवचनम् ।

(8) सुप्रजस् + सुँ । By 4-1-2 स्वौजसमौट्छष्टाभ्याम्भिस्ङेभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसिँभ्याम्भ्यस्ङसोसाम्ङ्योस्सुप्।

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

(10) सुप्रजास् + स् । By 6-4-14 अत्वसन्तस्य चाधातोः – When the ‘सुँ’ affix which is not सम्बुद्धिः follows, a base that ends in ‘अतुँ’ or a base that ends in ‘अस्’ which is not of a verbal root, has its penultimate letter elongated.

(11) सुप्रजास् । By 6-1-68 हल्ङ्याब्भ्यो दीर्घात्‌ सुतिस्यपृक्तं हल् – A single letter affix ‘सुँ’, ‘ति’ or ‘सि’ is dropped following a base ending in a consonant or in the long feminine affix ‘ङी’ or ‘आप्’।
Note: Now ‘सुप्रजास्’ gets पद-सञ्ज्ञा by 1-4-14 सुप्तिङन्तं पदम् with the help of 1-1-62 प्रत्ययलोपे प्रत्ययलक्षणम् । This allows the सूत्रम् 8-2-66 to apply in the next step.

(12) सुप्रजाः । रुँत्व-विसर्गौ – 8-2-66 ससजुषो रुः and 8-3-15 खरवसानयोर्विसर्जनीयः।

Questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 5-4-122 नित्यमसिच् प्रजामेधयोः (used in step 5) been used in verses 30-35 of Chapter Eighteen of the गीता?

2. Commenting on the सूत्रम् 5-4-122 नित्यमसिच् प्रजामेधयोः the तत्त्वबोधिनी says – अकारोच्चारणं भत्वसम्पादनार्थम्, तेन सुप्रजसावित्यादौ ‘यस्येति च’ इत्याकारलोपः सिध्यति। Please explain.

3. Commenting further on the same सूत्रम् the तत्त्वबोधिनी says – अस्वरितत्वादेव अन्यतरस्यांग्रहणाननुवृत्तिसिद्धौ नित्यग्रहणमन्यतो विधानार्थम्। तेन ‘अल्पमेधस:’ इति सिध्यतीति वृत्तिकारादयः। Please explain.

4. In which compound in the verse has the affix ‘टच्’ been used?

5. In which compound in the verse has the first member of the compound taken पुंवद्भाव: (a masculine-like form)?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“King Daśaratha, who had no offspring, performed a sacrifice for getting a son.” Construct a बहुव्रीहि: compound for ‘one who has no offspring’ = ‘अविद्यमाना प्रजा यस्य स:’। Use a causative form of the verbal root √वृत् (वृतुँ वर्तने १. ८६२) preceded by the उपसर्ग: ‘निर्’ for ‘to perform.’

Easy questions:

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

2. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the substitution ‘च्’ in the form चिक्रीड used in the commentary?