Today we will look at the form अग्निसाक्षिकः  mNs from रघुवंशम् verse 11-48.

मैथिलः सपदि सत्यसंगरो राघवाय तनयामयोनिजाम् ।
संनिधौ द्‍युतिमतस्तपोनिधेरग्निसाक्षिक इवातिसृष्टवान् ॥ 11-48॥

मल्लिनाथ-टीका
सत्यसङ्गरः सत्यप्रतिज्ञ: । ‘अथ प्रतिज्ञाजिसंविदापत्सु सङ्गरः’ इत्यमरः । मैथिलो राघवायायोनिजां तनयां द्‍युतिमतस्तेजस्विनस्तपोनिधेः कौशिकस्य संनिधौ । अग्निः साक्षी यस्य सोऽग्निसाक्षिकः । ‘शेषाद्विभाषा’ इति कप्प्रत्ययः । स इव । सपद्यतिसृष्टवान्दत्तवान् ।। ४८ ।।

Translation – The king of Mithilā, true to [his] promise, instantly gave away to Rāma [his] daughter – not born from the womb – in the presence of the lustrous ascetic, as though he had fire as the witness [for the offering].

(1) अग्निः साक्षी यस्य सः = अग्निशाक्षिकः (मैथिलः) – one (King Janaka) who had fire as the witness.

(2) अग्नि सुँ + साक्षिन् 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) As per the सूत्रम् 1-2-43 प्रथमानिर्दिष्टं समास उपसर्जनम् – the term ‘अग्नि सुँ’ as well as ‘साक्षिन् सुँ’ gets the designation उपसर्जनम् because in the सूत्रम् 2-2-24 अनेकमन्यपदार्थे (which prescribes the compounding) the term अनेकम् ends in the nominative case. And hence 2-2-30 cannot help us in deciding which term to place in the prior position in the compound.

‘अग्नि सुँ’ – which is qualifying ‘साक्षिन् सुँ’ – 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: ‘अग्नि सुँ + साक्षिन् सुँ’ gets the designation प्रातिपदिकम्‌ by 1-2-46 कृत्तद्धितसमासाश्च। This allows 2-4-71 to apply in the next step.

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

= अग्निसाक्षिन् ।

(5) अग्निसाक्षिन् कप् । By 5-4-154 शेषाद्विभाषा – Following a बहुव्रीहि: compound for which no other समासान्त: operation has been prescribed and which is composed using a rule in the अधिकार: of शेष: (which runs from 2-2-23 शेषो बहुव्रीहिः to 2-2-24 अनेकमन्यपदार्थे) the तद्धित: affix कप्‌ is optionally prescribed and this affix becomes the ending member of the compound.

See question 3.

(6) अग्निसाक्षिन् क । अनुबन्ध-लोपः by 1-3-3 हलन्त्यम् and 1-3-9 तस्य लोपः।
Note: ‘अग्निसाक्षिन्’ gets the designation पदम् here as per 1-4-17 स्वादिष्वसर्वनामस्थाने। This allows the सूत्रम् 8-2-7 to apply in the next step.

(7) अग्निसाक्षिक । By 8-2-7 नलोप: प्रातिपदिकान्तस्य – The ending letter ‘न्’ of a पदम् is dropped when the पदम् also has the designation प्रातिपदिकम्।

The gender of a बहुव्रीहि: compound matches that of which it qualifies. In the present example, अग्निसाक्षिकः is qualifying मैथिलः (the king of Mithilā.) Hence we assign the masculine gender to the compound प्रातिपदिकम् ‘अग्निसाक्षिक’। It declines like राम-शब्द:।

The विवक्षा is प्रथमा-एकवचनम् ।

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

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

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

Questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 5-4-154 शेषाद्विभाषा (used in step 5) been used in verses 25-30 of Chapter Eighteen of the गीता?

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

3. Commenting on the word शेष: used in the सूत्रम् 5-4-154 शेषाद्विभाषा the सिद्धान्तकौमुदी says – शेषशब्दोऽर्थद्वयपर:। Please explain.

4. Can you spot the negation particle नञ् in the verses?

5. In which word in the commentary has the सूत्रम् 7-4-46 दो दद् घोः been used?

6. How would you say this in Sanskrit?
“This entire universe has the Self as its witness.” Paraphrase to – “This entire universe is that which has the Self as its witness.” Construct a बहुव्रीहि: compound for ‘that which has the Self as its witness’ = ‘आत्मा साक्षी यस्य तत्’।

Easy Questions:

1. Where has the सूत्रम् 7-3-102 सुपि च been used in the verses?

2. Which सूत्रम् prescribes the substitution ‘औ’ in the form संनिधौ (पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिकम् ‘संनिधि’, सप्तमी-एकवचनम्)?