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Recursive Operations in Sanskrit

Introduction

  • In this section we examine another aspect of Paninian grammatical operations.
  • Ashtadhyayi employs Recursive Logic to process grammatical applications.
  • One example: the logic of Samasa (a method of creating compound words).

Samasa

  • Samasa means creating compound words from a group of nouns.
  • Like in other languages, Sanskrit can combine one or more noun forms into a single noun (a compound word).
  • The process of creating a single noun from several nouns is called Samasa.

Recursive Logic in Samasa

  • Seeing the Samasa principle as an example below.
  • This is how Panini applies recursive logic to obtain compound words.

Example: "shastra" and "nipuna"

  • Consider two words:

    • shastra : in shastra (scripture)
    • nipuna: expert

  • Let us say we want to put these two words into two Nouns into a single Noun.

  • Purva-pada: First word (shastra).

  • Uttara-pada: Second word (nipuna).

Root, Suffix, Word

  • In Sanskrit, noun forms are generated from a noun root using suffixes.
  • Example: Root, Ram + suffix > word Rama .

Dismantling Suffixes

  • Suffixes of the two words can be dismantled to obtain the respective noun roots.
  • Dismantle suffixes to get the noun roots.

Apply Suffixes back to root

  • Remove the Suffixes, and the root can become a real word again

Combining roots

  • The compound word can be obtained by combining the purva-pada and the uttara-pada.
  • shastra + nipuna = shastra-nipuna.
  • shastra-nipuna becomes a new noun root.

Generating Different Forms

  • Apply suffixes to this new noun root.
  • Get all the different forms (as seen earlier).
  • You can do it any number of word.

Generalizing the Process

  • Let W be the set of noun roots to combine.
  • Remove suffixes to get noun roots (w1, w2, w3... wn).

Recursive Compound Word Formation

  • Compound word can be very recursively done.
  • At stage “n”, there already be a compound word from the previous stage > Sn-1 .

Adding the Nth root

  • Simply add the noun root of the n th stage to the compound root at the nth stage.
  • Sn = Sn-1+ wn

Recursive Logic

  • Read inputs n and W = w1 + w2 :Set of noun roots to be combined.
  • Let the first noun root be the purva-pada and let the compound word be the purva-pada >a single word =a compound word.
  • For i = 2 to n
  • Uttara-pada = wi (take the i =2 >take second one =w2 .
  • Simply add it to the previous word (Sn-1) >you get the new word at stage I stage (Stage2).
  • Now replace purva-pada + the new compound word +take the next word uttara-pada and one can go like that until exhaust the word

Illustration with five Nouns

  • Recursive logic = Sn= w1 +w2+w3 ... wn
  • The noun root for the compound word.
  • Attach suffixes.
  • What structure is what is this structure?
  • Possible that is what is the structure
  • dipa, placed, sthithasya :dipa placed in belly .udara
  • Ghata,
  • of pot, pierced =nanachidrasya

Combining the root with suffixes

  • Remove all the Noun to generate the roots.
  • To generate nouns which sort of combined :nanachidra + udara+ sthitha +dipa

Applying recursive Algorithm

  • Use the recursive algo=n=5
  • W, letters that you have.
  • PP = nanachidra
  • purva-pada ,
  • 1st compound,

Implementing recursive Algo

  • i=2
  • i=3
  • i=4
  • i =5 =the final noun root= nanachidra, ghata, ghat =udara sthitha, dipa.
  • Attach now different cases ( 1, 2, 3 ) and do what needs to be done.
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