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Exercise Page 119
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CORRECTION: The vocabulary listing of भक्ष् (भक्षति, °ते, class I) indicates that the form in the exercise अभक्षयत् is "caus. भक्षयति, without caus. meaning." However, भक्ष् is more commonly categorized as a class X verb with the stem भक्षय so there is no need to state it is causative.
Middle Voice
The explanation of the 'middle voice' in this lesson in the book is largely theoretical and applicable in only very specialized contexts. The real difference between 'active' and 'middle' voices is not in meaning, but in verb formation.
'Active' and 'middle', or परस्मैपद and आत्मनेपद in Sanskrit, refer to the endings used in the formation of verbs. The endings learned previously (i.e. ति, अन्ति, etc.) are called परस्मैपद, and the new endings introduced in this lesson are called आत्मनेपद. Which ending is to be used depends not on the meaning intended, but on the status of the root being used. A root that always takes only परस्मैपद endings is called परस्मैपदी. A root that always takes only आत्मनेपद endings is called आत्मनेपदी. A root that can take either type of ending is called उभयपदी. (The choice of ending for an उभयपदी root can depend on the meaning intended as described in the book, but can just as easily be arbitrary.)
Like the gender of a noun, the status of a root as परस्मैपदी, आत्मनेपदी, or उभयपदी must be memorized or looked up in a dictionary. In most dictionaries, this status is indicated by the letters P, A, or U after the class number of a root. For example, the root भू, which is परस्मैपदी and belongs to class 1, will be listed as 'भू 1P'. In this book, the status of a root can be determined by the present tense third-person singular form of the root given in the vocabulary list. For example भू is listed with its form 'भवति', using the परस्मैपद ending 'ति'. लभ् is listed with its form 'लभते', which indicates it is आत्मनेपदी. यज् is listed with both forms 'यजति, यजते', which indicates it is उभयपदी.
For the purposes of translation, one only needs to be able to recognize the tense, person, and ending of both परस्मैपद and आत्मनेपद endings. Both can be translated in the same way, i.e. यजति and यजते can both be translated as "he sacrifices".
'Active' and 'middle', or परस्मैपद and आत्मनेपद in Sanskrit, refer to the endings used in the formation of verbs. The endings learned previously (i.e. ति, अन्ति, etc.) are called परस्मैपद, and the new endings introduced in this lesson are called आत्मनेपद. Which ending is to be used depends not on the meaning intended, but on the status of the root being used. A root that always takes only परस्मैपद endings is called परस्मैपदी. A root that always takes only आत्मनेपद endings is called आत्मनेपदी. A root that can take either type of ending is called उभयपदी. (The choice of ending for an उभयपदी root can depend on the meaning intended as described in the book, but can just as easily be arbitrary.)
Like the gender of a noun, the status of a root as परस्मैपदी, आत्मनेपदी, or उभयपदी must be memorized or looked up in a dictionary. In most dictionaries, this status is indicated by the letters P, A, or U after the class number of a root. For example, the root भू, which is परस्मैपदी and belongs to class 1, will be listed as 'भू 1P'. In this book, the status of a root can be determined by the present tense third-person singular form of the root given in the vocabulary list. For example भू is listed with its form 'भवति', using the परस्मैपद ending 'ति'. लभ् is listed with its form 'लभते', which indicates it is आत्मनेपदी. यज् is listed with both forms 'यजति, यजते', which indicates it is उभयपदी.
For the purposes of translation, one only needs to be able to recognize the tense, person, and ending of both परस्मैपद and आत्मनेपद endings. Both can be translated in the same way, i.e. यजति and यजते can both be translated as "he sacrifices".
