Bhasha Bhaskar Arthat Hindi Bhasha Ka Vyakaran

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Bhasha Bhaskar Arthat Hindi Bhasha ka Vyakaran" by Ethrington Padri, based on the provided pages:

Overall Purpose and Context:

"Bhasha Bhaskar" is a grammar book of the Hindi language designed specifically for native students. The author, the Rev. W. Etherington, a missionary in Benares, created this work with the intention of providing a valuable resource for vernacular education. The book aims to systematically explain the structure and rules of Hindi grammar, making it accessible and beneficial for Indian youth learning their mother tongue. The preface highlights that it's not a mere translation of an English grammar but a re-envisioned work that incorporates criticisms and insights from scholars. The book's success is evidenced by its sixth edition and its recommendation for a government prize.

Key Content and Structure:

The book is meticulously structured into twelve chapters, covering all essential aspects of Hindi grammar:

• Chapter 1: Varna Vichar (Phonology/Alphabet Study):

  • Defines language and the necessity of grammar for speaking and writing correctly.
  • Explains that language is built from sentences, sentences from words, and words from letters (varnas).
  • Categorizes letters into vowels (swar) and consonants (vyanjan).
  • Details the pronunciation, articulation, and formation of letters, including compound consonants (sanyukt vyanjan).
  • Explains the concept of 'hal' (consonants without inherent vowel sound) and the use of vowel diacritics (matras).
  • Discusses anuswar (nasalization) and visarga (aspirated 'h' sound).
  • Classifies vowels into short (hrasva) and long (dirgha) and introduces the concept of 'plat' (extended vowel sound).
  • Details the classification of consonants based on their place of articulation (karntha, talavya, murdhanya, dantya, oshtya, etc.) and the effort required for their pronunciation (alpprana, mahaprana).
  • Introduces the concept of sanunasika (nasalized sounds) and nirnunasika (non-nasalized sounds).
  • Explains combined consonants (sanyukt vyanjan) and their formation, providing examples of conjunct forms.

• Chapter 2: Sandhi Prakaran (Sandhi/Euphony):

  • Explains sandhi as the merging and modification of sounds when letters come together.
  • Highlights its importance for understanding Sanskrit words borrowed into Hindi.
  • Details the three main types of sandhi:
    • Swar Sandhi (Vowel Sandhi): Explains five types: Dirgha (long vowel), Guna (vowel combination leading to 'e', 'o', 'ar'), Vriddhi (vowel combination leading to 'ai', 'au'), Yana (transformation of 'i', 'u', 'ri' to 'y', 'v', 'r' before another vowel), and Ayadi (transformation of 'e', 'ai', 'o', 'au' to 'ay', 'aay', 'av', 'aav' before a vowel).
    • Vyanjan Sandhi (Consonant Sandhi): Discusses changes in consonants based on neighboring sounds, including assimilation and modification of consonants at the beginning or end of words.
    • Visarga Sandhi (Visarga Sandhi): Explains the changes visarga undergoes when combined with vowels and consonants, leading to sounds like 'sh', 's', 'r', or 'o'.

• Chapter 3: Shabd Sadhana (Word Formation/Morphology):

  • Defines words and categorizes them into noun (sangya), verb (kriya), and indeclinable (avyay).
  • Explains noun as naming words and verb as action words.
  • Defines avyay as words that don't change form based on gender, number, or case.
  • Classifies nouns into Rudhi (root words), Yogik (compound words), and Yogarudhi (words that are compound but have a specialized meaning).
  • Further categorizes nouns into Jativachak (common noun), Vyaktivachak (proper noun), Gunvachak (adjective), Bhavvachak (abstract noun), and Sarvanama (pronoun).
  • Explains gender in Hindi (Pullling - masculine, Striling - feminine), noting the absence of neuter gender. It provides rules for determining gender based on Sanskrit origins, word endings, and common usage.
  • Details the formation of feminine nouns from masculine ones using suffixes like '-i', '-iya', '-in', '-ain', and '-ni'.
  • Explains number (Vachan) as singular (ekvachan) and plural (bahuvachan), with rules for forming plurals.
  • Discusses the concept of Karaka (case) and its eight types: Karta (nominative), Karma (accusative), Karan (instrumental), Sampradan (dative), Apadan (ablative), Sambandh (genitive), Adhikaran (locative), and Sambodhan (vocative). It explains the function and postpositions associated with each case.
  • Explains the inflection (rupakaran) of nouns based on gender, number, and case, categorizing them into four groups with detailed examples.
  • Discusses Gunvachak Sangya (Adjectives), their agreement with the noun (visheshya), and changes in form based on gender and case.

• Chapter 4: Sarvanam (Pronouns):

  • Defines pronouns as words that replace nouns.
  • Explains the gender of pronouns is determined by the noun they replace.
  • Categorizes pronouns into Purushvachak (personal), Nishchayavachak (demonstrative), Nishchayavachak (indefinite), Sambandhvachak (relative), and Prashnvachak (interrogative).
  • Details the declension of personal pronouns (main - I, tu - you, vah - he/she/it).
  • Explains demonstrative pronouns ('yeh' - this, 'vah' - that) and their cases.
  • Discusses indefinite pronouns like 'koi' (someone) and 'kuch' (something).
  • Explains relative pronouns ('jo' - who, 'so' - that) and their usage.
  • Explains interrogative pronouns ('kaun' - who, 'kya' - what).
  • Explains the respectful pronoun 'aap' (you) and its usage.
  • Discusses reciprocal pronouns like 'aapäs' (amongst each other).

• Chapter 5: Kriya (Verbs):

  • Defines verbs as words indicating action and their relation to tense, person, and number.
  • Explains 'dhatu' (verb root) and the verbal noun form ending in '-na'.
  • Categorizes verbs into Sakarmak (transitive) and Akarmak (intransitive).
  • Explains Kartripredhan (subject-prominent) and Karmapredhan (object-prominent) verbs.
  • Discusses Tenses (Kaal): Past (Bhoot), Present (Vartaman), and Future (Bhavishyat).
  • Details various forms of past tense: Samanya Bhoot (simple past), Purn Bhoot (past perfect), Asann Bhoot (present perfect), Sandigdh Bhoot (doubtful past), Apurn Bhoot (past continuous), and Hetu Hetumaddhat Bhoot (conditional past).
  • Explains Present Tense: Samanya Vartaman (simple present) and Sandigdh Vartaman (present continuous/doubtful present).
  • Explains Future Tense: Samanya Bhavishyat (simple future) and Sambhavya Bhavishyat (possible future).
  • Introduces Vidhi (imperative/optative) and Purvakalik Kriya (conjunctive participle).
  • Explains the formation of verb conjugations and their parts.
  • Provides examples for various verb forms and tenses.

• Chapter 6: Kridant (Derived Nouns from Verbs):

  • Explains kridant as words formed from verb roots with suffixes that indicate agency, action, etc.
  • Details five types of kridant: Kartrivachak (agentive), Karmavachak (patientive), Karanvachak (instrumental), Bhavvachak (abstract), and Kriyadyotak (verbal adjective).
  • Explains the rules for forming these nouns using suffixes like '-hara', '-vala', '-ak', '-iya', '-vaiya', '-aav', '-aai', '-vat', '-hat', '-ni', etc.

• Chapter 7: Karaka (Cases):

  • Focuses on the grammatical cases and their function in sentence construction.
  • Reiterates the eight cases: Karta, Karma, Karan, Sampradan, Apadan, Sambandh, Adhikaran, and Sambodhan.
  • Provides detailed explanations and examples for each case, including their postpositions and common usage, sometimes diverging slightly from Sanskrit rules for Hindi application.

• Chapter 8: Taddhit (Derived Nouns from Nouns/Adjectives):

  • Explains taddhit suffixes that form new words from nouns and adjectives, indicating various relationships like sonship, agency, abstract qualities, diminutives, and qualities.
  • Provides a comprehensive list of taddhit suffixes and the types of nouns they form, with illustrative examples.

• Chapter 9: Samas (Compound Words):

  • Defines samas as the process of combining two or more words, often dropping their case endings, to form a single compound word.
  • Lists and explains the six types of samas: Karmadharaya (adjective-noun compound), Tatpurush (genitive/accusative compound), Bahuvrihi (possessive compound), Digu (numeral compound), Dvanda (copulative compound), and Avyayibhav (adverbial compound).
  • Provides examples for each type of samas.

• Chapter 10: Avyay (Indeclinables):

  • Defines Avyay as words that do not change their form regardless of gender, number, or case.
  • Categorizes Avyay into six types: Kriyavisheshan (adverb), Sambandhvachak (preposition/postposition), Upsarg (prefix), Samyojak (conjunction), Vibhajak (disjunction), and Vismayadibodhak (interjection).
  • Details various adverbs (kalvachak - time, sthanvachak - place, bhavvachak - manner, parimanvachak - quantity).
  • Explains postpositions (Sambandhsoochak).
  • Lists and explains the meanings of common Sanskrit prefixes used in Hindi.
  • Explains conjunctions and disjunctions.
  • Lists interjections expressing various emotions.

• Chapter 11: Vakyavinyas (Syntax/Sentence Structure):

  • Explains how to construct meaningful sentences from words.
  • Discusses the importance of word order (padayojan ka kram).
  • Defines subject (Uddeshya) and predicate (Vidhey) and their relationship with adjectives.
  • Explains the agreement of verbs with the subject (gender, number, person) and the rules for object-prominent verbs.
  • Discusses the role of conjunctions and separators.
  • Explains the principles of sentence formation: Akanksha (expectation), Yogyata (appropriateness), and Aasatti (proximity).

• Chapter 12: Chhandonirupan (Prosody/Metrics):

  • Defines 'chhand' as a metrical composition characterized by the count of syllables (matra) or letters (varna).
  • Explains Guru (long/heavy syllable) and Laghu (short/light syllable) and their notation.
  • Discusses the formation of 'Ganas' (metrical feet) composed of three syllables, classifying them into eight types (Magan, Nagan, Bhagan, Yagan, Jagan, Ragan, Sagan, Tagan) and their auspicious and inauspicious nature.
  • Explains the concept of 'Prastar' (permutation and combination of syllables) and 'Nasta' (finding a specific metrical pattern).
  • Details various types of meters (Vritta) based on the number of letters and their metrical arrangement, including Varna Vritta (syllable-based meters) and Matra Vritta (syllable-count based meters).
  • Provides extensive examples and classifications of various meters (samavritta, ardhasamavritta, vishmavritta).

Key Features and Approach:

• Systematic and Comprehensive: The book covers the entirety of Hindi grammar in a logical and detailed manner.
• Pedagogical Focus: Designed for native students, it simplifies complex grammatical concepts.
• Clear Explanations and Examples: Each rule and concept is elucidated with numerous examples.
• Comparative Approach: While focusing on Hindi, it occasionally draws parallels with Sanskrit to explain nuances, especially in sandhi and vocabulary.
• Practical Utility: The grammar rules are presented with an emphasis on their practical application in constructing sentences and understanding Hindi literature.
• Historical Significance: As a grammar book from the 19th century, it provides insight into the development and standardization of Hindi grammar.

In essence, "Bhasha Bhaskar" is a foundational grammar text that aims to equip Hindi learners with a solid understanding of the language's structure, rules, and literary devices.