Lesson 16: The Sanskrit Passive
The Passive of Transitive Verbs
The first passive in Sanskrit is identical to the English passive described above: i.e., it is the passive of transitive verbs. Note in the chart above that in the passive the patient is always the subject. For this reason, the corresponding Sanskrit passive is called कर्मणि प्रयोग or “usage” (प्रयोग) of a verb “with reference to its patient” (कर्मन्), i.e., the verb is conjugated (or as a participle, declined) to agree with its patient. Since we know that the verb always agrees with its subject (nom.), in this passive the patient always is the subject.
Sanskrit is exactly parallel to the active and passive sentences given above:
The first passive in Sanskrit is identical to the English passive described above: i.e., it is the passive of transitive verbs. Note in the chart above that in the passive the patient is always the subject. For this reason, the corresponding Sanskrit passive is called कर्मणि प्रयोग or “usage” (प्रयोग) of a verb “with reference to its patient” (कर्मन्), i.e., the verb is conjugated (or as a participle, declined) to agree with its patient. Since we know that the verb always agrees with its subject (nom.), in this passive the patient always is the subject.
Sanskrit is exactly parallel to the active and passive sentences given above:
- active: दासः नृपम् तुदति । The servant strikes the king.
- passive: दासेन नृपः तुद्यते । The king is struck by the servant.
- बालाः युष्मान् स्मरन्ति । The girls remember you (all).
- बालाभिः यूयम् स्मर्यध्वे । You (all) are remembered by the girls. (2nd pl. subj.)
The Passive of Intransitive Verbs
But unlike English, Sanskrit also has a passive of intransitive verbs. Since intransitive verbs have no patient, there is nothing to be put in the nominative case, meaning that these sentences will never have an expressed subject. Grammarians think of the verb as agreeing instead with the verbal activity itself (भावे प्रयोग), which is 3rd person singular (neuter). In this way, you can think of तद् as the implicit subject of all of these passives. For example,
But unlike English, Sanskrit also has a passive of intransitive verbs. Since intransitive verbs have no patient, there is nothing to be put in the nominative case, meaning that these sentences will never have an expressed subject. Grammarians think of the verb as agreeing instead with the verbal activity itself (भावे प्रयोग), which is 3rd person singular (neuter). In this way, you can think of तद् as the implicit subject of all of these passives. For example,
- active: फलानि पतन्ति । Fruit fall.
- passive: फलैः पत्यते । (The activity of) falling is done by fruit.
- For example, in the active voice one may say, रामो नृपो भवति । “Rāma is / becomes king.” Here नृपः, “king,” is part of the predicate (नृपो भवति). Because भू is intransitive and cannot govern a case, नृप must agree in case and number with the noun it’s describing (here, रामः), so it is singular and nominative (नृपः, not नृपम्).
- In all passives, the agent is always put in the instrumental (रामेण). And an intransitive verb is conjugated to agree with its singular activity (भूयते). But what then happens to the noun or adjective in the predicate (नृप)? As in the active voice, it will be made to agree with the thing it refers to (here, रामेण). Hence, रामेण नृपेण भूयते । “By Rāma being / becoming king is done.” Though odd-sounding, the meaning is the same as in the active because the active/passive transformation only affects form, not meaning. Often the passive is preferred simply because it’s easier to conjugate than a verb in a particular class.
- देवैः खाद्यते । “Eating is done by the gods.”
Passives with Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds and infinitives are always formed in the same way:
Gerunds and infinitives are always formed in the same way:
- gerund: weak root + त्वा / य /त्य (e.g., गम् = ग + त्वा, गत्वा)
- infinitive: (1st class) strengthened root + तुम् (e.g., तुष् = तोष् + तुम्, तोष्टुम्)
- 10th class gerunds and infinitives are built from their stem, not root, and always take the -इ affix in place of their stem-final -अ — e.g.,
चिन्त् = चिन्तय् + इत्वा, चिन्तयित्वा ; चिन्तय् + इतुम्, चिन्तयितुम्
- पक्त्वा ओदनः खाद्यते रामेण । Having been cooked, rice is eaten by Rāma.
(i.e., ओदनः is the patient of both पच् and खाद्य) - खादितुम् ओदनः पच्यते रामेण । In order to be eaten, rice is cooked by Rāma.
(i.e., ओदनः is the patient of both खाद and पच्य)