(From Hart, Lesson 25, pp. 118-124)

Formation of the Causative

The causative is formed by adding –य्– (-ay-) to the root that is modified according to the rules below. Most causatives are conjugated like active thematic verbs, though there are some that are conjugated in the middle voice. Causatives can be conjugated in the present, imperfect, optative, future, and imperative, and there is a passive causative that is always conjugated in the middle voice. (Hart, p. 118)

Root Modification

The following modifications are made to the verb root before adding the –य्– marker of the causative:

  1. A final vowel takes a vṛddhi strengthening. Thus, कृ → कारयति and भू → भौ + अय् + अ + ति → भावयति
  2. Non-final (medial or initial) इ, उ, ऋ, or ऴ are guṇated unless they are followed by a double consonant, in which case they remain unchanged. Thus, दृश् → दर्शयति, वृध् → वर्धयति, but जीव् → जीवयति, and चिन्त् → चिन्तयति
  3. A non-final अ in a light syllable (i.e., not followed by a double consonant) is generally lengthened with the exception of गम् → गमयति, यम् → यमयति, and जन् → जनयति and similar verbs. Thus, पठ् → पाठयति.
  4. Most roots ending in आ and some roots ending in –इ add –प्– before the –अय– of the causative. Thus, दा → दापयति, स्था → स्थापयति, ज्ञा → ज्ञापयति, विधा → विधापयति, and जि → जापयति but पा → पाययति
  5. If the nasal appears in any of the forms of the root, it appears in the causative. Thus, युज् → युञ्जयति, शंस् → शंसयति
  6. Two important exceptions to note: अधी → अध्यापयति and हन् → घातयति

Passive Causative

The passive causative is formed simply by taking the –अय्– of the causative from the causative stem and then adding the –य्– of the passive to it, to which the appropriate endings are then affixed. Thus, ज्ञा → ज्ञापयति (causative, “he causes to know”) → ज्ञाप्यते (causative passive, “he is caused to know”)

Present Participles of the Causative

Present participles may be formed from both the active and passive causative forms, using the rules outlined for forming participles. Thus, ज्ञा → ज्ञापयति (causative, “he makes known”) → ज्ञापयन्त् (causative present participle, “making known”) and ज्ञाप्यमान (causative passive present participle, “being made to know”)

Causative Forms For Verbs in Hart’s Grammar (pp. 119-120)

Root 3rd Sing. Present 3rd Sg. Pres. Causative 3rd Sg. Pres. Caus. Passive
अदी अधीते अध्यापयति अध्याप्यते
अस् अस्ति none none
आप् आप्नोति आपयति आप्यते
आस् आस्ते आसयति आस्यते
इ एति none none
कृ करोति कारयति कार्यते
कृष् कर्षति कर्षयति कर्ष्यते
कॢप् कल्पते कल्पयति कल्प्यते
क्री क्रीणाति क्रापयति क्राप्यते
गम् गच्छति गमयति गम्यते
ग्रह् गृह्णाति ग्राहयति ग्राह्यते
चुर् चोरयति चोरयति चोर्यते
जन् जायते जनयति जन्यते
जीव् जीवति जीवयति जीव्यते
ज्ञा जानाति ज्ञापयति ज्ञाप्यते
त्यज् त्यजति त्याजयति त्याज्यते
दह् दहति दाहयति दाह्यते
दा ददाति दापयति दाप्यते
धाव् धावति धावयति धाव्यते
नश् नश्यति नशयति नश्यते
नी नयति नाययति नाय्यते
पठ् पठति पठयति पठ्यते
पश् पश्यति दर्शयति दर्श्यते
पा पिबाति पाययति पाय्यते
पीड् पीडयति पीडयति पीड्यते
प्रच्छ् पृच्छति प्रच्छयति प्रच्छ्यते
ब्रू ब्रवीति none none
भू भवति भावयति भाव्यते
भृ बिभर्ति भारयति भार्यते
मान् मन्यते मानयति मान्यते
मुच् मुञ्चति मुञ्चयति मुञ्च्यते
मृ म्रियते मारयति मार्यते
यम् यच्छति यमयति यम्यते
लभ् लभते लम्भयति लम्भ्यते
लिख् लिखति लेखयति लेख्यते
वच् वक्ति वाचयति वाच्यते
वाद् वदति वादयति वाद्यते
वस् वसति वासयति वास्यते
वह् वहति वाहयति वाह्यते
विद् विद्यते none none
विधा विदधाति / विधत्ते विधापयति विधाप्यते
विश् विशति वेशयति वेश्यते
वृत् वर्तते वर्तयति वर्त्यते
वृध् वर्धते वर्धयति वर्ध्यते
शंस् शंसति शंसयति शंस्यते
श्रु शृणोति श्रावयति श्रव्यते
सेव् सेवते सेवयति सेव्यते
स्था तिष्ठति स्थापयति स्थाप्यते
स्पृश् स्पृसति स्पर्शयति स्पर्श्यते
स्मृ स्मरति स्मारयति स्मार्यते
हन् हन्ति घातयति घात्यते
हस् हसति हासयति हास्यते
हा जहाति हापयति हाप्यते

Note: Tenth class verbs have the same causative and primitive forms. For instance, चोरयति means both “s/he steals” and “s/he causes to steal.” In the passive the causative and primitive forms are identical for many verbs. गम्यते means both “s/he is caused to go” and “it is gone” or “it is traversed” (the bhāve construction). In such instances, the meaning must be determined from the context.

Use of the Causative

The causative conveys the notion that a person or thing causes or makes another person or thing undergo the state denoted by the root. Often translated in English as “cause to —–” or “made to —–”. (Hart, p. 120)

Active Causative

There are two syntactical constructions used with the active form of the causative.

  1. All transitive verbs except those listed under 2 put the agent who is caused to do the action in the instrumental. The agent caused to do the action would be the subject of the verb in its non-causative form.
    • स रामेना पत्नीं त्याजयति। (He causes Rāma to leave his wife.)
    • राजा वीरेणारिं घातयति। (The king causes the hero to kill the enemy.)
    • राजा शूद्रेण ब्राह्मणं स्पर्शयति। (The king makes the Śūdra touch the Brahmin.)
  1. All intransitive verbs plus verbs which denote motion, knowledge, information, and eating take the agent cause to do the action in the accusative. The transitive verbs that fall under this class include: गम्, पठ्, अधि, वद्, वच्, पश्, ज्ञा, and पा.
    • शत्रून्स्वर्गमगमयत्। (He caused the enemies to go to heaven.)
    • स्वान्वेदार्थमवेदयत्। (He caused his own to know the meaning of the Vedas.)
    • देवानमृतमअशयत्। (He caused the gods to eat nectar.)
    • विधिं वेदमध्यापयत्। (He caused Brahmā to study the Veda.)
    • पृथ्वीम्सलिलासयत्। (He caused the earth to sit in the water.)

Passive Causative

In the passive causative, the agent caused to act is always put in the nominative and the agent causing the action to be done is put in the instrumental. This is true no matter whether the verb is transitive or intransitive. That is, both categories of active causative listed above form their passive in the same way. This is usually translated as “So and so is caused to —– by so and so”. (Hart, p. 123)

  • रामो ग्रामं गम्यते। (Rāma is caused to go to the village.)
  • शूद्रः कटं कार्यते। (The śūdra is caused to make a mat.)
  • शूद्रो राज्ञा कटम्कार्यते। (The śūdra is caused to make the mat by the king.)

The exception to this is with verbs that connote knowledge, eating, and verbs that have a literary work as their object (reading, writing, editing, compiling, etc.). For these verbs, the thing that is caused to be done is placed in the nominative and the agent caused to do is placed in the accusative or vice versa! Thus, the following sentences are equivalent:

  • राजा धर्मं ज्ञाप्यते। (The king is caused to know his duty)
  • धर्मो राजानं ज्ञाप्यते। (The king is caused to know his duty)

And

  • बालो भोजनं भोज्यते। (The boy is caused to eat food.)
  • भोजनं बालं भोज्यते। (The boy is caused to eat food.)