SanskritVibhakti: the Sanskrit cases
The single biggest difference between Hindi and Sanskrit is this: Hindi shows the job of a noun with a separate little word after it (ने, को, से, के लिए, का, में), while Sanskrit changes the ending of the noun itself. These endings are called विभक्ति (vibhakti). Once you can recognise them, you can read a Sanskrit sentence in any word order, because every word carries its own label.
There are seven vibhaktis, plus the form used for calling someone, the सम्बोधन. Your school Hindi grammar already taught you the same eight ideas under the name कारक.
The cases with their Hindi signs
| विभक्ति | कारक | Hindi sign | Job | Example with राम |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| प्रथमा | कर्ता | ने / (none) | the doer | रामः पठति। (Rama reads.) |
| द्वितीया | कर्म | को | the object; also "to" a place | अहं रामं पश्यामि। (I see Rama.) |
| तृतीया | करण | से, के द्वारा | by, with (the means) | रामेण सह गच्छामि। (I go with Rama.) |
| चतुर्थी | सम्प्रदान | को, के लिए | to, for (the receiver) | रामाय नमः। (Salutation to Rama.) |
| पञ्चमी | अपादान | से (अलग होना) | from (separation, cause) | रामात् भयम्। (Fear from Rama.) |
| षष्ठी | सम्बन्ध | का, की, के | of (belonging) | रामस्य पुस्तकम्। (Rama's book.) |
| सप्तमी | अधिकरण | में, पर | in, on, at | रामे भक्तिः। (Devotion in Rama.) |
| सम्बोधन | सम्बोधन | हे, अरे | calling | हे राम! (O Rama!) |
Three numbers
Hindi and English have singular and plural. Sanskrit has a third: the dual (द्विवचन), used for exactly two. One boy is बालकः, two boys are बालकौ, three or more are बालकाः. The verb agrees: बालकः पठति, बालकौ पठतः, बालकाः पठन्ति. So every noun has 8 cases × 3 numbers = 24 forms, and that table of 24 is what students call a शब्दरूप (shabda-rupa). It sounds like a lot, but many of the forms repeat, and the patterns are few.
Three genders
Sanskrit nouns are masculine (पुंल्लिङ्ग), feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग) or neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग). Hindi has lost the neuter. Gender is a property of the word, not always of the thing: वृक्षः (tree) is masculine, लता (creeper) feminine, फलम् (fruit) neuter. A word's gender and its last sound decide which table it follows. The three model words are on the noun tables page.
Why word order is free
Because the endings mark each word's job, Sanskrit can arrange words for rhythm or emphasis. All of these mean "Rama sees the fruit": रामः फलं पश्यति। फलं रामः पश्यति। पश्यति रामः फलम्। The ending -ः marks Rama as the doer wherever he stands. This freedom is what makes Sanskrit verse possible, and it is why a shloka cannot be read from left to right like a Hindi sentence. You have to find the verb, then the doer in the first case, then the object in the second, and so on. That method is called अन्वय (anvaya); see how to read a shloka.
Words that demand a particular case
- सह (with) takes the third case: मित्रेण सह, with a friend.
- नमः (salutation) takes the fourth: गुरवे नमः, शिवाय नमः.
- विना (without) takes the second, third or fifth: जलं विना, without water.
- प्रति (towards) takes the second: गृहं प्रति, towards home.
- Verbs of giving take the fourth case for the receiver: बालकाय फलं ददाति, he gives the boy a fruit.
A way to remember the cases
Learn one short sentence for each case with a word you like, as in the table above, and recite the eight sentences daily for a week. The traditional way is to chant the full table of राम aloud; millions of students have learnt it that way, and the rhythm does much of the work.