The gerundive is an adjective created from a verb root with the meaning of “to be V-ed” where “V” is the meaning of the verb. Thus, these are often called “future passive participles”. For example, one of the three gerundives for पठ् “to read” is पठितव्य “to be read”. All three types of gerundives are declined like देव in the masculine, फलम् in the neuter, and सेना in the feminine.
Formation of the Gerundive
The three types of gerundive are those that use the suffix –य, those that use –तव्य, and those that use –अनीय. Some verbs form all three gerundives. Some, just two, and some, just one.
Gerundives in -य
Rules governing the formation of the gerundive in –य are:
- Before this suffix, final –आ of a stem becomes –ए-, as देय from दा.
- Other final vowels may go unchanged, be guṇated, or vṛddhied, or several of these processes. After guṇa or vṛddhi, the resulting –ए– or –ऐ– may become –अय्– or –आय्– respectively, while the resulting –ओ– or –औ– always becomes –अव्– or –आव्– before the –य. If the root ends in a short vowel that goes unchanged, then a –त्– is often inserted before the –य. Thus,
- जि → जेय or जय्य
- श्रु → श्रुत्य or श्रव्य or श्राव्य
- कृ → कृत्य or कार्य
- भू → भव्य or भाव्य
- For some verbs, medial –अ– is unchanged, while for others it is lengthened:
- सद् (to sink) → सद्य
- वच् → वाच्य
- Initial or medial इ, उ, and ऋ in a light syllable are sometimes unchanged, sometimes guṇated.
- गुह् (to hide) → गुह्य
- विद् → वेद्य
- Causatives, class 10 verbs, and denominatives make the –य gerundive on the present stem minus the –अय्. Thus,
- चुर् → चोर्य
- दा → दाप्य
Gerundives in –तव्य
The gerundive in –तव्य is added to the same stem to which the infinitive ending –तुम् is added. Thus,
- आप् → आप्तव्य
- मृ → मर्तव्य
- पश् → द्रष्टव्य
Gerundives in –अनीय
For these gerundives, in general, the radical vowels in a light syllable are guṇated before this suffix. Final vowels are generally guṇated before this suffix. Class 10, causatives, and denominatives add this suffix to the present stem minus the –अय्-:
- कृ → करणीय
- चोर → चोरणीय
- लिख् → लेखनीय
Use of the Gerundive
The gerundive can be translated as “to be V-ed,” “who is to be V-ed,” or “The one who is to be V-ed.” It denotes that the action or state expressed by the root verb must or ought to be done or undergone. For example, वाच्यम्, वक्तव्यम्, and वचनीयम् all mean “that which ought to be said,” or “that which is to be said.” As in English, the Sanskrit implies either that it is fit to be said, that one is obliged to say it, or that it will inevitably be said. स हन्तव्यः means “he should be killed,” literally “he is to be killed.” As in this example, the gerundive is often used as a predicate adjective with the copula omitted so that it acts like a finite verb.
The neuter nominative form of the gerundive can be used in a bhāve (impersonal) construction where the putative subjects is put in the instrumental. This is often best translated as an active, modal verb (“should” or “ought”) rather than passive verb. Thus, तेन तत्र गन्तव्यम् literally means “it is to be gone there by him,” that is, “he must go there,” “he should go there,” or “he will certainly go there.”
As demonstrated by the last translation, the gerundive bhāve construction can also be used to indicate an active action that is inevitable in the future. Thus, तेनापि शब्दः कर्तव्यः or “he also will surely make a noise.”
The gerundives of भू in the neuter nominative singular, भाव्यम् and वितव्यम् are often used in a bhāve construction to mean “must be” or “in all probability is/are.” Thus, तेना बालवताभवितव्यम् means “he is in all probability strong,” or simply “he must be strong.”
Examples of Gerundives
The following table lists the gerundives of all verbs in Hart’s book
| Root | –य Gerundive | –तव्य Gerundive | –अनीय Gerundive |
| अधी | अध्येय | अध्येतव्य | none |
| अर्ह् | none | none | अर्हणीय |
| अवगम् | अवगम्य | अवगन्तव्य | अवगमनीय |
| अस् | none | none | none |
| आज्ञा (caus.) | आज्ञाप्य | आज्ञापितव्य | आज्ञापनीय |
| आनी | आनेय, आनय्य | अनेतव्य | none |
| आप् | आप्य | आप्तव्य | none |
| आस् | none | आसित्वय | none |
| आह्वे | आहव्य | आह्वयित्वय | none |
| इ | एय | एतव्य | none |
| इष् | एष्य | एष्टव्य | एषनीय |
| उपगम् | उपगम्य | उपगन्तव्य | उपगमनीय |
| कृ | कर्य | कर्तव्य | करणीय |
| कृष् | none | क्रष्टव्य | कर्षणीय |
| कॢप् | कल्प्य | कल्पितव्य | कल्पनीय |
| क्री | none | क्रीडितव्य | none |
| गम् | गम्य | गन्तवगय | गमनीय |
| ग्रह् | ग्राह्य | ग्रहीतव्य | ग्रहणीय |
| चुर् | चोर्य | चोरयितव्य | चोरणीय |
| जन् | जन्य | जनयितव्य | none |
| जि | जेया | जेतव्य | none |
| जीव् | जीव्य | जीवितव्य | जीवनीय |
| ज्ञा | ज्ञेय | ज्ञातव्य | none |
| त्यज् | त्यज्य / त्याज्य | त्यक्तव्य | none |
| दह् | दाह्य | दग्धव्य | none |
| दा | देय | दातव्य | none |
| धाव् | none | धावितव्य | धावनीय |
| नश् | none | नष्टव्य | none |
| निग्रह् | निग्राह्य | निग्रहीतव्य | निग्रहणीय |
| निर्दिश् | निरदेश्य | निरदेष्टव्य | none |
| नी | नेय | नेतव्य | none |
| पठ् | पाठ्य | पठितव्य | पठनीय |
| पश् | दृश्य | द्रष्टव्य | दर्शनीय |
| पा | पेय | पातव्य | पानीय |
| पीड् | पीड्य | पीडितव्य | पीडनीय |
| प्रच्छ् | पृच्छ्य | प्रष्टव्य | none |
| प्रतीक्ष् | प्रतीक्ष्य | प्रतीक्षितव्य | प्रतीक्षणीय |
| प्रयुज् | प्रयोज्य | प्रयोक्तव्य | प्रयोजनीय |
| ब्रू | none | none | none |
| भू | भाव्य | भवितव्य | none |
| भृ | भृत्य / भार्य | भर्तव्य | भरणीय |
| मन् | मन्तव्य | none | none |
| मुच् | मोच्य | मोक्तव्य | मोचनीय |
| मृ | none | मर्तव्य | none |
| यज् | याज्य | जष्टव्य | याजनीय |
| यम् | यम्य | यन्तव्य | none |
| लभ् | लभ्य | लब्धव्य | none |
| लिख् | लिख्य / लेख्य | लिखितव्य | लेखनीय |
| वच् | वाच्य | वक्तव्य | वचनीय |
| वद् | वाद्य | वदितव्य | none |
| वस् | वास्य | वस्तव्य | none |
| वह् | वाह्य | वोढव्य | वाहनीय |
| विद् (to exist) | none | none | none |
| विद् (to know) | वेद्य | वेदितव्य | वेदनीय |
| विधा | विधेय | विधातव्य | none |
| विश् | वेश्य | वेष्टव्य | none |
| वृत् | none | वर्तितव्य | वर्तनीय |
| वृध् | none | वर्धितव्य | वर्धनीय |
| शंस् | शंस्य | none | शंसनीय |
| शक् | शक्य | none | none |
| श्रु | श्रव्य / श्राव्य | श्रोतव्य | श्रवणीय |
| सेव् | सेव्य | सेेवितव्य | सेवनीय |
| स्था | स्थेय | स्थातव्य | none |
| स्पृश् | स्पृश्य | स्प्रष्टव्य | स्पर्शनीय |
| स्मृ | स्मर्य | स्मर्तव्य | स्मरणीय |
| हन् | none | हन्तव्य | none |
| हस् | हास्य | हसितव्य | हसनीय |
| हा | हेय | हातव्य | none |
For verbs where the –य, –तव्य, or –अनीय forms are lacking, they usually have such forms in the causative. For example, विधा → विधापनीय ” “to be caused to ordain,” or “to caused to be ordained,” and शंस् → शंसयितव्य “to be caused to praise,” or “to be caused to be praised.”
Note that the gerundive of शक् has lost its gerundive significance and has come to stand for the passive of शक्. Thus, सोऽरिर्हन्तुं शक्यः simply means “that enemy can be killed.” इदं पुस्तकं त्वया पठितुं शक्यम् means “This book can be ready by you.” The neuter nominative singular शक्यम् can be used similarly in bhāve constructions: तत्र गन्तुं शक्यम् “It is possible to go there.” Such a construction can normally be rendered “It is possible to …” followed by an infinitive.