Sources: Whitney (§301-303), Hart (pp. 8, 105-107)
The seventh (सप्तमी) case is the locative. It expresses situation or location. It most often translated by “in”, “on”, or “at”, and denotes place or time in which a thing or action is situation. It can also denote the place into which something goes, as well as a group “among” which something belongs. By extension the locative is also used to mean accompanying circumstances, the state of things, and the sphere of action, feeling, or knowledge. Finally, as a variation of accompanying circumstances, there is the locative absolute construction.
Examples of the locative of place are:
ये देवा दिवि स्थ। “which of you gods are in heaven?”
पर्वतस्य पृष्ठे “on the ridge of the mountain”
Examples of the locative of time are:
एतस्मिन्न् एव काले “at just that time”
द्वादशे वर्षे “In the twelfth year”
An example of locative meaning “among” is:
न देवेषु न यक्षेषु तादृक्। “There is not such a one among the gods or yakṣas.”
The locative is also used to describe a condition or circumstance for something. For example:
ते वचने रतम् “delighted in your words”
मदे अहिमिन्द्रो जघान। “In fury Indra slew the dragon.”
Another use of the locative is referential, translated as “in the matter of”, ”with regard to”, ”respecting” and the like. Examples of this are:
उपायोऽयम्मया दृष्टानयने। “This means was devised by me with regard to leading [you] here.”
तमित्सखित्व ईमहे। “We beg him for friendship.”
Loc{“type”:”block”,”srcClientIds”:[“fb53cbb5-78d9-486b-b387-5f3b56ec16aa”],”srcRootClientId”:””}ative Absolute
Another use of the locative is the locative absolute. An absolute construction is when a participle agrees with a subject that is different from the subject of the verb. (When the subject of the participle is the same as the main verb, then a continuative construction is used.) There are both genitive and locative absolutes in Sanskrit, but the locative absolute is more common. It is usually constructed with a past participle and a subject noun both of which are in the locative and is usually translated by “when”, “having”, “while”, or “being”. The locative absolute locates the action of the main verb during or after the action of the absolute phrase.
कस्तस्मिन्राज्ञि सति भूमिं जयेत? “Who would conquer the earth while he is king?”
काले शुभे प्राप्ते “an auspicious time having arrived...”
अस्तमिते “when [the sun] had set,”
एवमुक्ते कलिना “it being thus spoken by Kali”
तथा कृते सति “when it was thus done”