Simple | Sibilant | Reduplicated | Uses

Source: Hart pp.175-179; Whitney, pp. 297-330 (§§ 824-930)

According to Sanskrit grammarians, the system they call luṅ (लुङ्)¹ is used to refer to an indefinite past time, and in classical Greek such a tense is called the “aorist.” However, in practice the Sanskrit “aorist” (लुङ्) tense is used interchangeably with the perfect and imperfect for any past tense, though it is apparently less common than either of those. There are three different types of formations of aorists: 1. the simple aorists, 2. the sibilant aorists, and 3. the reduplicated aorists.

Except when the aorist is used in conjunction with मा for negative commands, all aorists take the augment अ– like the imperfect. The differences between the type of aorists occur with whether or not and how the stem is strengthened, suffixes added before the endings, and whether they use the thematic or athematic imperfect endings.

Simple Aorists

There are two simple aorists: the root aorist and the अ– aorist.

The Root Aorist

This is formed by placing the augment before the verb stem and then adding the imperfect athematic endings. It is made in the active only, the middle using the स्– or इष्– aorists instead. The following example is the root aorist of भू (to exist):

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अभूवम्	अभूव	अभूम
2^nd Person	अभूः	अभूतम्	अभूत
3^rd Person	अभूत्	आभूताम्	अभूवन्

The अ– Aorist

This is formed by placing the augment before the verb stem and then adding the imperfect thematic endings. The following example is the अ– aorist of गम्:

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अगमम्	अगमाव	अगमाम
2^nd Person	अगमः	अगमतम्	अगमत
3^rd Person	अगमत्	अगमताम्	अगमन्

The Sibilant Aorists

The sibilant aorists also are in two broad groups of whether they use the thematic or athematic imperfect endings. The स्– इष्-, and सिष् aorists us the athematic imperfect endings, while the स– aorist uses the thematic imperfect endings. The first group that uses the athematic endings have some peculiarities. Their 2^nd person singular active ends in –ईः. Their 3^rd person singular active ends in –ईत् and their 3^rd person plural active ends in –उः.

The स्– Aorist

This aorist is made by adding स्– to the strengthened and augmented root to which the athematic imperfect endings are added. The root is strengthened in the following ways. A final vowel is vṛddhied in the active and guṇated in the middle, while a medial vowel is vṛddhied in the active and unchanged in them middle. The following table uses नी to show an example of the स्– aorist:

Active

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अनैषम्	अनैष्व	अनैष्म
2^nd Person	अनैषीः	अनैष्टम्	अनैष्ट
3^rd Person	अनैषीत्	अनैष्टाम्	अनैषुः

Middle

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अनेषि	अनेष्वहि	अनेष्महि
2^nd Person	अनेष्ठाः	अनेषाथाम्	अनेढ्वम्
3^rd Person	अनेष्ट	अनेषाताम्	अनेषत

The इष– Aorist

This is made by adding इष्– to the strengthened and augmented root to which the athematic imperfect endings are added. The root is strengthened in the following ways. A final vowel is vṛddhied in the active and guṇated in the middle, while a medial vowel is guṇated in both voices, while a medial –अ-is generally unchanged in both voices, though it can be lengthened in the active. The active and middle इष्– aorist of बुध् (to wake) are:

Active

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अबोधिषम्	अबोधिष्व	अबोधिष्म
2^nd Person	अबोधीः	अबोधिष्टम्	अबोधिष्ट
3^rd Person	अबोधीत्	अबोधिष्टाम्	अबोधिषुः

Middle

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अबोधिषि	अबोधिष्वहि	अबोधिष्महि
2^nd Person	अबोधिष्ठः	अबोधिषाथाम्	अबोधिढ्वम्
3^rd Person	अबोधिष्ट	अबोधिषाताम्	अबोधिषत

The सिष् Aorist

According to the grammarians, this aorist is rare and is made from roots in –आ and नम् (bow), यम् (reach), and रम् (be content). It is only used in the active, the corresponding middle being the स्– aorists. It is conjugated like the इष् aorist. The conjugation of या (go) is as follows:

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अयासिषम्	अयासिष्व	अयासिष्म
2^nd Person	अयासीः	अयासिष्टम्	अयासिष्ट
3^rd Person	अयासीत्	अयासिष्टाम्	अयासिषुः

The स– Aorist

The स– aorist takes the thematic imperfect endings. The roots allowed to form this aorist end in –श्, –ष्, and –ह्. All of these endings in combination with the स्– sign become –क्ष-. All the roots that form this aorist have either –इ, –उ, or –ऋ as their radical vowel. The example conjugation is दिश्:

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अदिक्षम्	अदिक्षाव	अदिक्षाम
2^nd Person	अदिक्षः	अदिक्षतम्	अदिक्षत
3^rd Person	अदिक्षत्	अदिक्षताम्	अदिक्षन्

The middle is formed in the same way but uses the middle imperfect thematic endings.

The Reduplicated Aorist

This aorist is not common in classical Sanskrit. It is formed by verbs which has the augment –अय, namely causatives, class 10 verbs, and denominatives. Rules for reduplication are found in Whitney’s Sanskrit Grammar, §§ 858-863.

	Singular	Dual	Plural
1^st Person	अजीजनम्	अजीजनाव	अजीजनाम
2^nd Person	अजीजनः	अजीजनतम्	अजीजनत
3^rd Person	अजीजनत्	अजीजनताम्	अजीजनन्

The middle is formed in the same way but with the middle imperfect thematic endings.

Use of the Aorist

As described above, the aorist is technically meant to indicate an indefinite past time, but in practice it is used to indicate any past time. Thus is interchangeable with the imperfect and perfect but is less common.

It is also used with the negative imperative particle मा to mean “Don’t ….” When used in this construction, the augment अ– is omitted. Thus, मा यासीः (“Don’t go!”) and तन मा भूत् (“May that not become!”).

The aorist passive is extremely rare and is formed from the middle forms of the स्-, इष्-, and स– aorists, but the 3^rd person singular of the passive aorist alone is commonly used to mean “it was ….” It is formed by adding –इ to the augmented and strengthened root. In general, the final vowels are vṛddhied and medial vowels are guṇated before the –इ. Thus, from नी there is अनायि (“it was led”); from वच् there is अवाचि (“it was said”), and from दा, अदायि (“it was given.”)

1Taken from https://avagraha.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/sanskrit-aorist/ accessed Feb. 11, 2018.