Arddhamagadhi Vyakaran Sar - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Arddhamagadhi Vyakaran Sar" by Revashankar G. Joshi, based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Arddhamagadhi Vyakaran Sar (Essentials of Ardhamagadhi Grammar) Author: Revashankar G. Joshi Publisher: Revashankar G. Joshi Purpose: Written for students of the tenth and eleventh standards studying Ardhamagadhi through the medium of Gujarati. It is also recognized by the Pali Ardhamagadhi Examination Committee, Poona. Publication Year: 1953

Overall Aim and Scope: The book aims to provide a concise and methodical grammar of Ardhamagadhi, specifically tailored for high school students. The author observed that many existing Gujarati books on Ardhamagadhi grammar were either too extensive or lacked a clear systematic order. This book strives to present all essential grammatical information in a brief and organized manner, focusing on key points rather than exhaustive detail. The foreword by N. G. Suru, Principal of N. Wadia College, Poona, commends the book for its systematic approach and its ability to equip students with an effective grammatical background for intelligent comprehension of the prescribed texts.

Key Content Areas Covered:

The book is structured into several chapters, each focusing on a specific aspect of Ardhamagadhi grammar:

Chapter 1: Compound Letters (Sandhi/Jodakshar):
- Discusses the rules governing how consonants can combine in Ardhamagadhi, noting that not all consonant combinations are permissible.
- Rules cover the formation of double letters (gemination) and the conditions under which certain consonants can or cannot combine.
- Examples are provided for various types of consonant clusters.
Chapter 2: Vowel and Consonant Changes (Varna Vikar):
- Explains how Ardhamagadhi vowels and consonants have evolved from Sanskrit.
- Details key rules for these transformations, such as:
  - Sanskrit 'r' becoming 'r', 'l', 'ri', 'l'.
  - Sanskrit 'ṛ' becoming 'r' or 'al'.
  - Sanskrit 'ai' and 'au' becoming 'e' or 'o', and 'a' or 'o' respectively.
  - Changes to visarga (ḥ).
  - Lengthening or shortening of vowels in specific contexts.
  - Transformations of initial consonants like 'r', 'v', 'ś', 'ṣ', 'p'.
  - Elision or modification of medial consonants, often with the introduction of a 'śruti' (a vowel insertion).
  - Changes to medial consonants like 'y', 't', 'j', 'g', 'n', 'm'.
  - Rules for consonant clusters, including the concept of "strong" and "weak" consonants, influencing their elision or doubling.
Chapter 3: Noun Declensions (Shabd Rup):
- Covers Ardhamagadhi's two numbers (singular and plural; dual is not used, plural serves its purpose).
- Details the seven cases (including vocative, with the fourth case often substituted by the sixth).
- Provides declension paradigms for various noun types:
  - Masculine: ā-ending (Rama), i-ending (Muni), u-ending (Bandhu, Bhanu).
  - Neuter: ā-ending (Dhana), i-ending (Dahi), u-ending (Mahu).
  - Feminine: ā-ending (Mala), i-ending (Bhumi), ī-ending (Nari), u-ending (Rajju).
  - Irregular nouns like Rājan (King) and Ātman (Self).
  - Vocative forms are also included.
Chapter 4: Verb Conjugations (Dhatu Rup):
- Highlights the relative simplicity of Ardhamagadhi verb conjugations compared to Sanskrit, with fewer tenses and moods.
- Ardhamagadhi has three tenses and three moods.
- Verbs are categorized into two main classes based on their endings (a-ending and ma/ra/la/ya-ending).
- Details the formation of:
  - Present Tense (Vartaman Kal): With examples of personal endings for different persons and numbers.
  - Past Tense (Bhut Kal): Explains the formation of past tense forms with various suffixes, including irregular past tense forms of common verbs like 'abbavi' (to speak), 'akasi' (to do), 'ahosi' (to be), 'vayasi' (to say).
  - Future Tense (Bhavishya Kal): Explains the two divisions of future tense suffixes and their application to different verb types. It also covers irregular future tense forms.
  - Imperative Mood (Agyarth): Explains its usage for commands, requests, and wishes, with rules for formation and examples.
  - Potential Mood (Vidhyarth): Explains its usage for expressing advice, possibility, or obligation, with formation rules and examples.
  - Conditional Mood (Sanketa): Discusses its formation using participles and its conditional meaning.
Chapter 5: Verbal Adjectives/Participles (Visheshan-Krudant):
- Defines these as adjectives derived from verbs.
- Categorizes them into five types:
  - Passive Past Participle (Karmani Bhut Krudant)
  - Active Past Participle (Kartari Bhut Krudant)
  - Passive Present Participle (Karmani Vartaman Krudant)
  - Active Present Participle (Kartari Vartaman Krudant)
  - Passive Potential Participle (Karmani Vidhyarth Krudant)
- Explains how these participles decline like nouns.
- Provides detailed rules and examples for each type, including their usage as adjectives and as verb replacements.
- Explains the formation and usage of Active Present Participles ('Vartaman Krudant') with suffixes like '-anta' and '-mana', and Passive Potential Participles ('Vidhyarth Krudant') with suffixes like '-antva' and '-vya'.
Chapter 6: Indeclinable Participles (Avyay Krudant):
- Covers two main types:
  - Conjunctive Participle (Samyukta Krudant / "Samyayantra"): Used to show a prior action completed by the subject before another action. Formed with suffixes like '-ya', '-ka', '-ktvā', etc.
  - Purpose/Infinitive Participle (Hetvarth Krudant / "Tumanta"): Used to express the purpose of an action. Formed with suffixes like '-tum', '-arthe', '-kyam', etc.
- Explains their usage and provides examples.
Chapter 7: Causative Verbs (Prayajak):
- Explains how verbs are formed to indicate that one person causes another to perform an action.
- Details the suffixes used to form causative verbs (e.g., '-av', '-e', '-ave', '-chav').
- Provides examples of regular and irregular causative verb formations.
Chapter 8: Denominative Verbs (Nam Dhatu):
- Explains how verbs can be formed from nouns.
- Details the suffixes used (e.g., '-r', '-na', '-ve') to create these verbal forms from nouns.
- Highlights the difference between verb formations and noun-derived verb formations.
Chapter 9: Voice (Prayog):
- Explains the three types of voice in Ardhamagadhi:
  - Active Voice (Kartari Prayog):
    - Transitive Active: Subject in the first case, object in the second, verb agrees with the subject.
    - Intransitive Active: Subject in the first case, verb agrees with the subject, and the verb is intransitive.
  - Passive Voice (Karmaṇi Prayog): Subject in the third case, object in the first case, verb agrees with the object, and the verb is in the passive form.
  - Impersonal/Neuter Voice (Bhava Prayog): Subject in the third case, verb is always in the third person singular and in the passive form.
- Provides rules for changing between active and passive voice.
Chapter 10: Sandhi (Joining of Vowels):
- Discusses the rules for vowel sandhi in Ardhamagadhi, noting that it's not always as strictly applied as in Sanskrit.
- Covers various rules for combinations of vowels (a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, e, o) when they meet at the junction of words or suffixes.
- Includes examples of both regular and some irregular sandhi formations.
Chapter 11: Compound Words (Samas):
- Explains the four main types of Sanskrit samāsa that are also present in Ardhamagadhi:
  - Dvandva (Copulative): Compounds formed with 'cha' (and), where the gender and number of the compound follow the last noun. It also covers 'Samāhāra Dvandva' where the compound is neuter singular.
  - Tatpurusha (Adjectival): Subtypes include Vibhakti Tatpurusha, Nañ Tatpurusha, Upapada Tatpurusha, Aluk Tatpurusha, Madhyamapadalopi, Karmadhāraya, and Dvigu. Each subtype has specific rules for formation and meaning.
  - Bahuvrīhi (Possessive): Compounds where the words together describe something else. It covers Samānādhikaraṇa, Vyadhikaraṇa, Upamādaraśaka, Nañ Bahuvrīhi, and Saha Bahuvrīhi.
  - Avyayībhāva (Adverbial): Compounds formed with indeclinables and nouns, creating adverbial phrases.
- Provides detailed explanations and examples for each type of samāsa.
Chapter 12: Numerals (Sankhyavachak Visheshan):
- Lists cardinal numbers from one to one thousand, with their Ardhamagadhi forms.
- Explains how fractions are formed using prefixes like 'savāy' (quarter past), 'saḍḍha' (three quarters), and 'pāona' (quarter to).
- Explains the formation of ordinal numbers ('Kramavachak Visheshan') from cardinal numbers.

Additional Features: The book also includes a "Shuddhi Patra" (Errata/Correction slip) indicating some corrections to the text.

In essence, "Arddhamagadhi Vyakaran Sar" is a foundational grammar guide designed to make the study of Ardhamagadhi accessible and systematic for Gujarati-speaking students, covering phonology, morphology (nouns and verbs), syntax (voice and sentence structure), word formation (compounds), and numerical systems.