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AN INTRODUCTION
TO THK

M AIT HI LI DIALECT
OK

THE BIHARI LANGUAGE

AS SPOKEN IN

NORTH BIHAR
BY
GEORGE A. GRIERSON, C.I.E., Ph.D., D.Litt.,
Honorary Member of tlie Asiatic Society of Bengal, of the American Oriental
Society, of the Nugari Pracdritii Sabhd, and of the Soci4t4 Finno-
Ougrienne ; Foreign Associate Member of the Society Asiatique
de Paris ; Corresponding Member of the Eoniglichc
Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen
formerly of His Majesty' s Indian
Civil Service.

SECOND EDITION.

PART I.

GRAMMAR.

Calcutta
PRINTED AT THE BAPTIST MISSION PRESS AND PUBLISHED
BY THE ASIATIC SOCIETY, 57. PARK STREET.
1909.
tf
 mi

Incompliance with current copyright

law, U. C. Library Bindery produced
this replacement volume on paper
that meets ANSI Standard Z39.48-
1984 to replace the irreparably
deteriorated original

1998
 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
When I undertook the preparation of this second edition of
my Maithili my intention was to do little more than to
Grammar,
arrange a corrected reprint of the first edition published in 1881.
I soon found that the necessary corrections were so heavy and
so important that the whole work had to be recast. It has, in
fact, been rewritten.
When the first edition was prepared, the only specimens of
literary Maithili available were those then in my possession, and
subsequently published in my Maithili Chrestomathy. Since then
more literary materials
have been discovered and have been made
available to students. These have all been carefully worked
through by me, and, as a result, I have been able to give in the
present edition of the Grammar a fairly complete set of examples
of the manner in which the various forms are employed. The
examples are not absolutely complete, for I have rigidly confined
myself to passages taken from actually existing literature. With
the exception of a few reproduced from the first edition, not
a
single example has been made up for the purpose of
illustration.
The second edition has been prepared in England, and I have
not had the advantage of further native assistance but, on
the
;

other hand, I have fully utilized my notes

which have been accu-
mulating during the past twenty-five years. As
compared with
the former edition, the book represents a
quarter of a century's
progress in the study of an interesting
and by no means easy
dialect.

George A. Grierson.
Camberley,
June 11th, 1906.

6fc5o
 CONTENTS.
Page
iii
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction

PART I.

Alphabet and Vocabulary.

1
Chapter I.—The Alphabet

§ 1 — 4. Alphabets
1

Pronunciation 2
§ 5—27.
Vowels 2
§ 5 ff. ...

Consonants 9
§ 20 ff.

§ 28 — 31. Accentuation 14
I5
§ 32—35. Rule of the Short Antepenultimate ... ...

17
Chapter II.— Vocabulary

PART II.

,
Declension.

Chapter I.— Formation of Nouns ...

Equivalent Forms of Nouns ... •• ••• 20

§4,1—50.
§51—73. Nominal Suffixes ... ... •- .
;••• 24
43
Chapter II.— Gender, Number and Case ••• •••
...

§ 7-4. Gender ...

Number.. ••• ••• 43

§75—77. ... ...

§ 78. Organic Cases ... -.. •• — 44

Inorganic Cases ... •• ••• ••• 45

§ 79.

§ 80—84. Oblique Form ... ... — ••• 45

85—93. Formation of Cases ... ••• ••• 52

Chapter III.— Declension of Nouns ... — ••• 5U

§ 94 — 96. Preliminary ... ... — ••• 56

Declension of Class I ••• 57

§97,98. ... ••• .

„ Class II ... ••• ••• 60

§ 99.
100-103. „ Class III ... ... ••• 61
§
 CONTENTS.

Page
Chapter IV. — Adjectives and Gender generally 63

§ 104-106. Preliminary 63
§ 107-119. Special Rules 64
§ 120-122. Comparison of Adjectives 70
§ 123-126. Numerals 70

Chapter V. — Pronouns ... 73

§127,128. Preliminary 73
§129. Old Oblique Form ... 73
§ 130. Modern Oblique Form 74
§ 131. Plural ... 75
§ 132. Honorific Forms of Second Person 76
§ 133. Use of Old Oblique Form 76
§ 134. Use of Genitives ... ... 76
§ 135. General Rules of Declension ... 78
§ 136-139. Personal Pronouns... 79
§ 140. The Reflexive Pronoun 83
§ 141-150. Demonstrative Pronouns and Pronoun of the Third
Person 84
§ 151-160. Relative and Correlative Pronouns 91
§ 161-164. Interrogative Pronouns 99
§ 165-172. Indefinite Pronouns 102
§ 173. Derivative Pronominal Forms ... 106

PART III.

Conjugation.

Chapter I. — Preliminary 108

§ 174-176. General Remarks ... 108

§ 177-185. Root, Verbal Nouns, and Participles 109
§ 186 — End of Chapter. Finite Tenses 114
§ 186. Gender ... 114
§ 187. Long and Redundant Forms 115
§ 188,189. Number. Non-honorific and Honorific Forms 116
§ 190. Person ... 120
§ 191, 192. Rule of Attraction ... 120
§ 193. Other Personal Terminations 122
§ 194. Tenses ... 125
§ 197. Old Present 127
§ 198. Present Conditional 130
 Vll
CONTENTS.

Page
132
§ 199. Imperative
13
§ 200. Respectful Forms ...
136
~~
§ 201-204. Future... ••• -
3
§ 205, 206. Past Conditional
146
§ 207. Present and Imperfect Indicative
... 146
§ 208-211. Past Indicative
158
§ 212. Perfect and Pluperfect Indicative
158
Chapter II.— Verbs Substantive and
Auxiliary...
158
§ 213. Preliminary
158
§ 214-218. .v/^pr ach
164
§219. v/^nh
164
§ 220-222. -v/ftn* thik
168
§223,224. </V% rah
171
§ 225. Summary
Auxili-
§ 226. The v/ft ho, as a Verb Substantive and as an
172
ary Verb
173
Chapter III.— Periphrastic Tenses ...

•••
... 173
§ 227. Preliminary •••

§ 228-230. Present Indicative...

§231-233. Imperfect Indicative
•• "'
§234-237. Perfect Indicative ... •••

§ 238-240. Pluperfect Indicative

192
§241. The */Tt ho, as an Auxiliary ...

193
Chapter IV.— Conjugation of the Regular Verb
193
§242. Preliminary
194
§ 243-263. Paradigms of the Transitive vT^ dekh

209
264-268. Paradigms of the Intransitive \S&ft
$*'*„
§
214
Chapter V.— Vocalic Roots
214
§ 269. Preliminary
214
§ 270-284. Roots in WT * and WR ah

232
§ 285-294. Roots in ?; i and f I

243
§ 295. Roots in TJ e
243
§ 296-304. Roots in ^i ft and ^T 5
'250
Chapter VI.— Irregular Verbs
25C
§ 305. Preliminary
 via CONTENTS.

Page
§306,307. The x/wx bar and i/qx dhar... .,. 251

§ 308, 309. The v/»nc mar ... ... ... w 254

§310,311. The */m ja ... ... ... ... 255

§ 312, 313. The ^t* db ... ... ... ... 2 57

§ 314-321. The ^ de and v^ K ... ... ... 259

§ 322-330. The t/TT fo ... ... •

... ... 2 73

Chapter VII —The Passive Voice ...

283
§331. The Regular Passive 283
§ 332. Passive with \/^ par 283
§ 333. Potential Passive ...
284
Chapter VIII.— The Formation of Transitive
and Causal Verbs ... 284
§334-339. Rules of Formation ... ..- 284
... ;

Chapter IX.— Compound Verbs ... ... ... 2 89

§340,341. Preliminary ... ... ... 2 89
§ 342-344. Intensives
290
§ 345. Potentials
293
§ 346. Completives 293
§ 347. Permissives 294
§ 348. Acquisitives 294
§ 349. Inceptives 294
§ 350. Desideratives 295
§ 351. Continuatives 296
§352-354. Staticals and qnasi-Staticals ... ... ... 296

PART IV.

Indeclinables.
§ 355. Adverbs 299
§362. Postpositions
302
§ 363. Conjunctions 302
§ 364. Interjections 303
Errata
304
Appendix. Table showing the various alphabets used in Mithila ... ,

Specimens of the Alphabets ... ... ;..-> end -

 INTRODUCTION.
full grammar of the
In submitting the following somewhat
of Bengal.! wish to explain
Maithili dialect to the Asiatic Society
the sources of my information.
They may be divided into two classes
Maithili.
1st—Forma obtained by translating into
2nd—Forms obtained by translating from Maithili.
obtained as follows: I printed paradigms of all
The first I
circulated them as
the forms in Hindi and Sanskrit Grammar and
and
widely as possible amongst the pandits, village school masters,

educated native gentlemen of

Northern Mithila, with directions
of these forms in their
own
to give the exact translation of each
native language.
way, to collect some fifty most useful
I was enabled, in this
society,
representatives of all classes of
books of forms, supplied by
little more than the
herd-boys
from the village guru, who knew
pandits of Mithila. 1 am glad to
he taught, to the most learned
say that the utmost interest
was taken in my design, for the
and were pleased at the idea
people are proud of their language
print.
of its being made.a polite one
by obtaining the honour of
the basis of this grammar.
These books of paradigms formed
and where one was found
They were compared with each other ;

the deficiency. At the same time, it

wanting, another supplied
.

showed many mutual discrepan-

must not be imagined that they from
the many varied sources
cies : the contrary, considering
on
unanimity was wonderful and
which they were derived, their found
justifies me in hoping that
what I here publish will be
fairly accurate.
from
With regard to the forms obtained by translating
ways. In cutcherry 1
Maithili. they were obtained in various
number ofwords from the mouths of the
collected myself a large
found very
witnesses who came in from a distance. These I
 INTRODUCTION.

useful in checking the books of forms above referred to. I also

collected a number of country songs, -which afforded invaluable
materials when properly sifted.
From these two sources, aided by the practical knowledge
possessed by myself and one or two native friends, the following
grammar has been compiled. I wish I could believe that it is

thoroughly accurate ; all I can say is that we have done our best
to make it as accurate as possible.
The above was what I said about the first editiou. During
the twenty-five years which have since elapsed, I have had frequent
opportunities of checking my statements on the spot, and, when
necessary, of correcting them. A large mass of notes on the lan-
guage has also accumulated, and the results of all these have been
incorporated in the present edition.
The Ghrestoviathy, published in Part II of the first edition, con-
tained all the Maithili literature thenknown to me. Its most im-
portant contents were the So?ig of Salhes, the Song of the Famine,
a collection of poems attributed to Vidyapati Thakkura, and
another of poems by Harsa Xatha. Since then the following Mai-
thili works have been published Twenty -one Vaishnava Hymns,
:

Manbodh's Haribans, the Git Bind Bhadrik and the Git Nebarak,
all edited by the present writer. An excellent Ramayana and a
translation into Maithili of Vidyapati's Sanskrit Purusa Pariksa
have also been composed by Pandit Chandra Jha, and have been
printed and published in Darbhanga, All these have been care-
fully worked through by me, and have furnished innumerable
examples of the various forms given in the grammar.
Maithili is one of the three dialects, —
Maithili, Magahi, and
Bhojpuri — Roughly speaking, we may
of the Bihari language.
say that Maithili occupies North Bihar, east of the river Gandak,
although towards the east it has crossed the Ganges and is spoken
in parts of South Bihar. Magahi occupies South Bihar, east of
the Son, and the northern of the two plateaux of Chota Xagpur.
Bhojpuri occupies the southern plateau of Chota Nagpur and the
the country north and south of the Ganges as far west as, say,
Benares. Maithili and Magahi are much more closely related to
each other than either is to Bhojpuri. Indeed, the last named
might almost be called a separate language. The approximate
number of the speakers of each, each in its own habitat, are :
 INTRODUCTION.

Maithili ... - .« 10,000,000

6 240 000
Magahi - •« ' '

Bhojpuri
...

...
2Q W°0Q
Total ... 36,240,000

the various Bihari dialects

Besides these there are speakers of
scattered all over Northern India
and even in the Deccan.
to Maithili, the standard form of the
Turning more specially
Madhubani subdivision of the Dar-
language is that spoken in the
portion of the district of
bhanga district, and in the adjoining

Bhagalpur. It is this which is described in the present

form
The other forms of the dialect are
described the m
grammar.
quoted below.
present writer's Seven Grammars
of the Maithili dialect, as a whole, is
The following account
Linguistic Survey of India
:-
taken from the Vol. V* of the
speaking, the language ot
Maithili or Tir*hutiya is, properly
name of Tirhut ). According
Mithila or Tairabhukti the ancient
(

repute
Sanskrit work of considerable
to the Mithila-mahatmya, a
the country bounded
in the territory which it
describes, Mithila is
the
on the north by the Himalaya, on the south by the Ganges, on
river kosi. it
the-east by the
west by the river Gandak, and on
of Champaran, Muzaffarpur
thus includes the British districts
as well as the strip of the Nepal Tarai, which
and Darbhanga,
runs between these and the lower ranges of the Himalaya
districts
formed
The districts of Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga originally
one district called Tirhut, and that
name is still used as a conve-
included in these two districts.
nient appellation for the country
of the greater portion of
Cham-
At the present day, the language
not Maithili, but, with that
paran is a form of Bhojpuri and
the whole of this tract. It has
exception, Maithili is spoken over
greater
river Kosi, and occupies the
also extended east of the
It has moreover crossed
the
part of the district of Purnea.
whole of the South-Gangetic
Ganges, and is now spoken over the
over the eastern portion of the
portion of the Bhagalpur District,
District, and in the north
South-Gangetic portion of the Monghyr
and west of the Sonthal Parganas.
spoken in its by the Brahmanas
greatest purity
Maithili is
districts, and by
of the north of the Darbhanga and Bhagalpur
Xll INTRODUCTION.

those of western Purnea. These men have a literature and tradi-

tions that retarded the corruption of the dialect. It is also
spoken with some purity, but with more signs of the wearing
away of inflexions, in the south of the Darbhanga District, and in
those portions of the Monghyr and Bhagalpur Districts which lie
on the northern bank of the Ganges. This may be called Southern
Standard Maithili. To the east, in Purnea, it becomes more and
more infected with Bengali, till, in the east of that District it is
superseded by the Siripuria dialect of that language which is a
border form of speech, Bengali in the main, but containing expres-
sions borrowed from Maithili, and written, not in the Bengali
character, but in the Kaithi of Bihar. The Maithili spoken in
Purnea may be called Eastern Maithili.
South of the Ganges, Maithili is influenced more or less by
the Magahi spoken to its west, and, partly also by Bengali. The
result is a well-marked dialect, locally known as Chika-chiki bolt,
from its chile,' the base on which the
frequent use of the syllable '

Verb Substantive is conjugated.

The Maithili spoken in the Muzaffarpur District, and in a
strip of country on the western side of Darbhanga, is strongly

infected by the neighbouring Bhojpuri spoken in various forms

in the adjacent district of Saran and in the greater part of Cham-
paran. So much is this the case, that, as spoken by some people,
it is difficult to say whether the dialect is Maithili or Bhojpuri.
It may be called Western Maithili.
The Musalmans of Mithila do not all speak Maithili. In
Muzaffarpur and Champaran, they speak an altogether different
dialect, closely allied to the language of Oudh. It is locally
known as Shekhai or as MusalmanI, and is sometimes called
Jolaha Boli, after the caste which forms one of the most numerous
Musulman tribes, according to popular opinion, of the locality.
The true Jolaha Boli, however, is the language spoken by the
Musalmans of Darbhanga, which is a form of Maithili, though
somewhat corrupted by the admission of Persian and Arabic
words to its vocabulary.

The number of people who speak each form of Maithili is as

follows :
 x,u
IKTBODuCTION.

Number of Sub.dialect.
*™b « rf S P oaker! -

Standard ... •• - l- 946 ' 800

Southern Standard ... - 2,300,000

Eastern ... ... - W«00

Chika-ckikI •. - 1,710,'Sl

Western
...

- WW*
Jolaha ... .-
- 8 37 000
-

Total number of speakers of Maithili

9,389,376
in Maithili-speaking districts . . .

of Maithili in the
These ligures do not include the speakers
are available. Under
Nepal Tarai, concerning whom no figures
be justified in assuming
any circumstances, therefore, we shall

that at least ten million people

speak Maithili in the country of

which it is the vernacular.

Maithili in other parts is
The number of persons who speak
Bengal and Assam, they
unknown. All that we can say is that, in
have been estimated asamounting to about 275,000 people. They
provinces.
are not so numerous in other
dialects which has a
Maithili the only one of the Bihari
is

For centuries the pandits of Mithila have been

literary history.
and more than one Sanskrit work of
famous for their learning,
authority has been written by them.
One of the few learned
women of India whose name has come down to us was Lakhima
lived at the end of the
Thakkurani, who, according to tradition,
vernacular literature neg-
14th century A.D. Nor was the field of
The earliest vernacular writer, of whom we have
lected by them.
Vidyapati Thakkura or Thakur,
any record, was the celebrated
Simka of Sugaona. and
who -raced the court of Maharaja S'iva
century. As a writer of
who flourished in the middle of the loth
considerable repute, and one
Sanskrit works he was an author of
Bengali, is familiar as a text-book,
of his works, translated into
to every student of that
under the name of the Purusa-parlksa,
dainty songs in the vernacular that
lanaua-e. But it is upon his
the old master- singers
hisfeuTe chiefly rests. He was the first of

dealing principally with Radha and

whose short religious poems,
important influence on the religious
Krisna, exercised such an
XIV INTRODUCTION.

history of Eastern India. His songs were adopted and enthusiasti-

cally recited by the celebrated Hindu reformer Caitanya, who flour-
ished at the beginning of the sixteenth century, and, through him,
became the house-poetry of the Lower Provinces. Numbers of
imitators sprung up, many of whom wrote in Vidyapati's name,
so that it is now difficult to separate the genuine from the imita-
tions, especially as in the great collection of these Vaisnava songs,
the Pada-kaipa-taru, which is the accepted authority in Bengal,
the former have been altered in the course of generations to suit
the Bengali idiom and metre. The Pada-kaipa-taru was ihe only
record that we had of the poet's vernacular works, till, in the
first edition of the Maithili Chrestomathy, the present writer was
enabled to publish a collection of songs attributed to Vidyapati,
which he collected in Mithila itself, partly from the mouths of
itinerant singers and partly from manuscript collections in the
possession of local pandits. That all the songs in this collection
are genuine is not a matter capable of proof, but there can be
little doubt that most of them are
so, although the language has

been greatly modernised in the course of transition from mouth to

mouth during the past five centuries. A larger collection of these
songs has been made by Babu Nagendra Xath Gupta, and will, it
is believed, shortly be published.
Vidyapati Thakkura or, as he is called in the vernacular,
Bidyapat* Thakur, had many imitators in Mithila itself, of whom
we know nothing except the names of the most popular, and a few
stray verses. Amongst them may be mentioned Umapati, Nandi-
pati,Moda-narayana, Ramapati, Mahipati, Jayananda, Caturbhuja,
Sarasa-rama, Jayadeva, Kesava, Bhanjana, Cakrapani, Bhanu-
natha, and Harsanatha or, in the vernacular, Harkh-nath. The
last two were alive when the present writer was in Darbhanga
thirty years ago.
Amongst other writers in Maithili may be mentioned Man-
bodh Jha, who died about the year 1788 A.D. He composed a
Haribans, or poetical life of Krsna, of which ten cantos are still
extant, and enjoy great popularity.
The drama has had several authors in Mithila. The local
custom has been to write the body of a play in Sanskrit, but the
songs in the vernacular. The best known of these plays are as
follows. None of them has been published.
 INTRODUCTION. XV

The Parijata-harana, and the Rnkmini-parinaya, both by

Vidyapati Thakkura.
The Gauri-parinaya by Kavi-lala.
The Usa-harana by Harsanatha above mentioned.
The Prabhavati-harana by Bhanunatha above mentioned.
Under the enlightened guidance of the late Maharaja of Dar-
bhanga, there has been a remarkable revival of Maithili literature
during the past few years. At least one author deserving of spe-
cial note has come to the front, Candra Jha, who has shown
remarkable literary powers. He has written a Mithila-bhdsha
Rama ij ana, and a translation, with an edition of the original
Sanskrit text, of the Purusa-pariksa of Vidyapati Thakkura, both
of which will well repay the student by their perusal.
No translation of any part of the Bible into Maithili has been
issued by the Bible Society, nor is that language included amongst
those into which the Serampore missionaries translated the Scrip-
tures. At the same time, if an article in the Calcutta Eevieiv is to

be believed, the first translation of any portion of the Bible

into Northern India was that of the Gospels and
any language of
Acts, made into the Chika-chiki dialect of Maithili, by Father
Antonio, at the end of the eighteenth century. The only other
translations with which I am acquainted are versions of the Ser-
mon on the Mount, and other short portions of Scripture, made
about thirty years ago by Mr. John Christian, and published at
Monghyr.

Authorities —
I. Early References. — The earliest reference which I can
find to Maithili or Tirhutiya is in Amaduzzi's preface to Beli-

gatti's Alphabetum Brammhanicum, published in 1771. This con-

tains a list of Indian languages amongst which is Tourutiana.' '

Colebrooke in his famous essay on the Sanskrit and Prakrit

languages written in the year 1801, is the first to describe Maithili l

as a distinct dialect. He points out its affinity with Bengali, dis-

cusses the written character used by the Brahmans, and adds,

'
as the dialect of Mithila has no extensive use, and does not appear

1 Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII (1801), pp. 199 ff. Reprinted in his

Essays. Ed. 1873, p. 26.

 XVI INTRODUCTION.

to have been at any time cultivated by elegant poets, it is unneces-

sary to notice it any further in this place.' Since then, 1 like the
other dialects of Bihar, Maithili remained unnoticed and forgotten,
till Mr. Fallon gave a few specimens of it in the Indian Antiquary*
in the year 1875. In the preceding year,
it is true, some examples

of the dialectwere given in Sir George Campbell's Specimens, 5 but

they are there classed as some of many dialects of Hindi spoken in
Bihar. Indeed, at tbis time it was the general belief that, all
over Bihar, the language spoken was a corrupt form of Hindi,
whereas, as Colebrooke had long previously pointed out, it was
much more nearly allied to Bengali than to the Hindi of the North-
Western Provinces. Matters remained in this state, till the first
edition of tbe present Maithili grammar appeared in the year
1880-81.

II. Grammars —
Beside the present work, reference may be made to the
following :
—
Hoernle, A. F. R., A Grammar of the Eastern Hindi compared
with the other Gaudian Languages. London, 1880. In this
Grammar, Dr. Hoernle recognized Maithili as a dialect distinct
from Hindi. He was able to give some specimens of its
grammatical forms, but no published materials were then
available.
Grierson, G. A.,- Seven Grammars of the Dialects and Suh-Dialects
of the Bihdri Language. Part I, Introductory, Calcutta, 1883 ;

Part IV, Maithil-Bhojpuri Dialect of Central and South

Muzaffarpur, 1884 Part V, South Maithili Dialect of South
;

Darbhangd, North Hunger, and the Madhepilrd Subdivision of

Bhagalpur ; Part VI, South Maithil-Mdgadhi Dialect of South

1 Note, however, Aime-Martin's Lettres edijiantes et curieuses, Paris,

1840. In Vol. II, p. 295, when describing the languages of India,
he says,
'le Marthila (sic) se retrouve dans Neypal.'
2 Vol. IV (1875), p. 340.
Specimens of Languages of India, including those
3
of the Aboriginal Tribes
of Bengal, the Central Provinces and the Eastern Frontier,
Calcutta, 1874.
The specimens given are headed, Vernacular of West '
Tirhoot,' Vernacular '

of East Tirhoot,' and Vernacular of West Purneah

'
(Hindee),' respectively.
They will be found on pp. 60 ff.
 INTRODUCTION. XV11

Munger and Bdrh Subdivision of Patna Part VII, South ;

Maithili. Bengali Dialect of South Bhagulpur ; Part VIII,

Maithil-Bangdli Dialect of Central and Western Puraniyd.
Kellogg, The Rev. S. H., — ^4 Grammar of the Hindi Language in
tchich are treated .... the colloquial dialects of Maithila (sic),

etc., with copious philological notes. Second Edition, Revised

and Enlarged. London, 1893. (The first edition does not
deal with Maithili).
The Maithili portion of Dr. Kellogg's work is confessedly
based on the grammars of the present writer.

III. Dictionaries —
Grierson, G. A., —Besides the vocabulary attached to the Mai-
thili Chrestomathy, there is one in the edition of Manbodh's
Haribans mentioned below.
Hoernle, A. F. R., and Grierson, G. A., A Comparative Diction-
ary of the Bihari Language. Part I, Calcutta, 1885 ; Part II,

1889. Only two parts issued.

IV. General Literature —

Regarding Vidyapati, see Beames, The Early Vaishnava Poets
of Bengal, Indian Antiquary ii, 1873, p. 37, and the same author's
On the Age a?id Country of Bidyapati, ibid, iv, 1875, p. 299. See
also the Bengali Magazine entitled the Bahga-darsana, Vol. iv, for

Jaishtha, 1282, Bg. san, pp. 75 and ff. Also the present writer's
Vidyapati 'and his Contemporaries, in Indian Antiquary, Vol. xiv,
1885, p. 182 ; Eggeling, Catalogue of Sanskrit MSS. in the
India Office Library, Part iv, No. 2864; and the present
writer in the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, for
August, 1895. Also the present writer On Some Mediaeval
Kings of Mithila, in Indian Antiquary, Vol. xxviii, 1899, p. 57.
Also Nagendra Nath Gupta, Vidyapati Thakur in J.A.S.B.,
Vol. lxxiii, Pt. I, Extra No. 1904, pp. 20 and the present writer
ff.,

in J.A.S.B. [N. S.], Vol. i (1905), p. 228. The following contain

editions of the Bengali recension of the poet's works. V idyapati-
krita-padavali, edited by Akshaya Chandra Sarkar. Chinsurah,
1285, Bg. s. Vidyapatir Padavali, Edited with an Introduction
by S'arada Charan Maitra. Second Edition, Calcutta, 1285, Bg. s.
Prdchvia Kavya Samgraha. Part I, Edited by Akshaya Chandra
xvm INTRODUCTION.

Sarkar. Calcutta, 1291, Bg. s. Up to the date of writing the

only edition of the Mithila recension is that in the Maithili
Chrestomathy.
For the benefit of those who wish to study Maithili, the fol-
lowing is a list of the principal works that have been published
in the language.

Besides the text in the Maithili Chrestomathy we have :

Twenty-one Vaishnava Hymns. Edited and translated by the

present writer. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. liii.
1884, SpecialNumber, pp. 76 and ff.
ManbodKs Haribans, Edited and translated by the same.
Ibid. Vol. li, 1882, pp. 129 and ff., and Vol. liii, 1884, Special
Number, pp. 1 and ff.

Selected Specimens of the Bihnri Language, Part /, The Mai-

thili Dialect. The Git Dina Bkadrik, and the Git NebSrak. Edited
and translated by the same. Zeitschrift der Beutschen Morgenlan-
dischen Gesellschaft, Vol. xxxix, 1885, pp. 617 and ff.

Vidyapati's Pumsa-pariksa, Edited, and translated in prose

and verse into Maithili. by Candra Jha. Darbhanga, Raj Press.
Sake 1810.
Mithila-Bhasa Ramayana, by Candra Jha. A version of the
story of the Ramayana in Maithili verse. Darbhanga, Union
Press. San 1299 Fasli.
 MAITHILI GRAMMAR.

PART I.

ALPHABET AND VOCABULARY.

CHAPTER I.

The Alphabet.
The Deva-
1. The Alphabets in use in Mithila are three—
nagar'i, the Maithili, and the Kaithi. The first is familiar to every
and need not be described here. In Mithila
it is
reader of this,
and seldom even in manuscripts.
not much used in common life,
Brahmans,
2. The Maithili is the character used by the Maithil
both In the affairs ofcommon life, and in their sacred books. Few
can read the
of the Brahmans, who are not professed pandits,
character is also affected by
Deva-nagari character. The Maithili
better educated than then-
Maithil Kayasthas, who pretend to be
The Maithili character is nearly the same as that of
fellows.
Bengali, differing only in one or two
letters.

use throughout
3.The Kaithi character is that in general
Brahmans. It is a
Mithila by all educated persons who
are not
can be written much faster
corruption of the Deva-nagari, and
even as fast as shikasta Urdu. There was a clerk
than the latter,

in my office in Madhubani. who could write excellent Kaithi more

practised of the old "Persian"
quickly than even the most
muharrirs. Besides the speed with
which it can be written, it has
legibility. It is the official character
the advantage of thorough
Government offices throughout Bihar and Chutia
employed in

Nagpur.
2 Maithili Grammar. [ §
4.

4. A lithographed comparative table, giving specimens of

these three alphabets, will be found at the end of this Grammar.

Pronunciation.
(a) Vowels.

5. The vowels should be pronounced as in Sanskrit, with the

following exceptions :
—
6. The vowel a has four distinct sounds, not two, as in Sans-

krit. In Sanskrit we have ^f a and s?T a. In Maithili each of

these has developed into a pair, a short and a long. The sound of

short W o is peculiar. It is not so broad as that of the correspond-

ing vowel in Bengali, but on the other hand it is broader than the
neutral vowel in Hindi. We may describe it as something between
the o in '
cob,' and the u in '
cub,' or as the short sound correspond-
ing to the long a in the word 'all.' From this has developed a
long sound almost exactly like that of the d in '
all.' This long
sound is nearly confined to the termination of the second person in
verbs, and is due to the influence of a u which once followed it, but
has now disappeared. Thus, the termination 3f^ ah is derived
from an older ^s ahu. The sound is not usually represented in
native writing but is commonly written merely as m a. When
it is desired to show it in writing it is sometimes represented
by the mark of length i. above the line, and sometimes by the
visarga : . Thus ^WW* or ^<1^:^. I shall in these pages employ
the former sign, and in transliteration, I shall adopt the sign d,

which is the character used for this sound in the publications of

the Assam Government, and has been borrowed from Swedish.
7. Just as a long ^f a sound has been developed from w,
so a secondary short a-sound has been developed from ^t a.

Ordinarily speaking, this letter is pronounced as the a in -far.'

Sometimes, according to the rule of the short antepenultimate to be

described below (see § 32 and ff.), it has to be shortened, and is then
pronounced like the a in 'farrier.' In native writing it is not
customary to indicate this sound, an ordinarv WT a being usually
written in its place. Some writers, however, use ^ a for this sound,

instead of *n. In the following pages, I shall indicate it. in the

2 9. Pronunciation of Vowels. *
"I

written above the line.

Deva-nagari character, by the short mark
'

In transliteration I shall indicate it by the

Thus wk#, I hilled.

sign a. Native scribes would write this word

either WW or IR».

* and
has a great tendency to be weakened
to a.
This short *?r a

a general rule that, unless

ambiguity would ensue
it mav be taken as
it doe's usually become * Thus the long form of *rfir pSni,
a.

usually t^TOT pamya.

water, is properly nrf**T p&niya, but is

On the other hand. '

I killed.
-

is always pronounced «TW mar*lm,

*ri mar*lai, however it is written, because the latter

and never
pronunciation would lead to ambiguity. «T^ mafhii properly

meaning he ' died.'

the same as
rule for the pronunciation of a final a
is
8. The
As a general rule, it is silent in prose as in an* pro-
in Hindi.

nounced gun. not guna ; ^ phal, not phala. In other terms these
final silent a is not
words are practically monosyllables, and the
rules depending on the
counted as a syllable in applying phonetic
and ff .). Similarly
number of syllables in a word (see §§ 28 and ff 32 ..

be treated as a dissyllable, not as a trisyllable,

TO* saphalmast
will be omitted in
and In transliteration this final silent a
so on.
In poetry it is pronounced
the following pages in writing prose.
transliteration.
and will therefore be represented in
a pronounced even in prose. When
In a few cases a final is

there any doubt, I shall

is
indicate it in the Deva-nagari character

o. and in transliteration
I shall, when so pronounced,
by the sign
important cases in which it is
always write it in full. The most
pronounced are : —
na. not.
(i) Original monosyllables, such as *

(ii) Words in which the final a is necessary for enunciation.

fsRT- priya, dear UT*|» 9™hya,

asinW*- snstra. a holy book ;
;

acceptable (see § 26).

which really a, as in
(iii) A
few verbal forms, in #
it is

MkV-ht, having seen.

tfW dekMM, be pleased to see : *fl 4r

final a of the first

9. When two words are compounded, the
member reappears and is pronounced very lightly. Thus <fW**
 —

4 Maithili Grammar. [ § ICh-

(^fi^f p hal + 3[HT3f da-yak) is pronounced phal a dayak, in which the

a is hardly audible, very like the Hebrew shawa mobile.

The same imperfect a also occurs in many polysyllabic words

in the syllable after the accent, when not final. Thus ^«TT
kdtn a ra, me ;
^1^ dekha bdh, you will see (but ^^ dekhab with
the a fully pronounced as it is in the final syllable) ; ^ ^^T dekhal
or ^'if^ny dekh a liai, I saw. As above shown, I represent this
imperfect vowel in transliteration by a small a above the line.

I have not thought it necessary to indicate it in the Deva-nagari

character. Xatives never do so.

In poetry, the final silent a, and this imperfect a are always

fully pronounced. We thus have, in poetry, guna, phala, saphala.
phaladd yaka, hamarci, dekhabdh (or, more usually, the older form
dekhabahu), dekhaba, dekhala and dekhaliai.
10. The short vowels X, i and ^ u, when final in prose are

also, as a rule, only half-pronounced. They may then be compared,

in this respect, to the '
compound sha w3s '
of Hebrew, which, how-
ever, occur at the beginning, not at the end. of a syllable. They are
not absolutely silent, but (as in Sindhi, Kasmiri. and Dravidiau
languages) are barely audible. Xatives make no attempt to indicate
in writing the extreme shortness of these vowels. As the matter
is of some importance, I shall in the following pages indicate
the fact by the sign for virama (^ ^ )
placed under the vowel-sign.
In transliteration I shall indicate it by small letters above the line-

Thus, ^f^ ach*, he is ; §"^«l dekhath a . let him see. As in the case

of the final absolutely silent a, these imperfect *

and u are not
counted as forming syllables in applying the rule of the short ante-
penultimate (§ 32). For the purposes of that rule ^«J dekhath"
is a word of two syllables.

There are exceptions in which a final i is pronounced as a full

vowel. These are :

(i) The final i of the plural termination ^f*r a m, as in

^ff*f*T lok a ni (not ^fnsf*T lokan 1

) people, the plural of ^TRf lok, a

person.

(ii) The final i of masculine nouns, as in mf*r pdni, water -

r

tufa" mani, proud (not llfiT pan*, *nf*T mffn').

g -^3 -| Pronunciation of Vowels.

(iii) A final i preceded by a vowel, as in ^WTT haluW,

lightness (not ^^tfTT haluka

1
).

nasalised by anunosikn.
These imperfect vowels are frequently
Thus ^rW£dekMtah?, immediately on seeing;
«fekW«*, *^
I saw. ,

and are fully pronounced, thus

In poetry these imperfect
•

achi, dekhathu.

*T the vowel n e has two sounds, a

11. As in the case of a,

the one with which we are

The long sound is
short and a long.
of the a in 'mate.
Ihe
familiar in Sanskrit, something like that
something like that of the
other is the corresponding short sound,
these two sounds
e in met.'
« Natives make no distinction between
following pages, the long sound will be
in writing.In the
* when non-initial, by % and the short sound
represented by or,
represent
by ' In transliteration I shall
hj ? or, when non-initial,
.

them by e and e respectively.

? and T are freely interchangeable.
It should be noted that
a i

^*T? paitah, he will

Thus, we may either have qjjrarte paetah or

see. Northern Maithili, as a rule, prefers to use ? e.

pair of long and

12. In an exactly similar way, there is a
'

short o sounds. The long is the Sanskrit 5, and is

sounded *
The short has the sound of the first
like the second o in
'
promote.'
in the following pages by
o in the same word, and will be represented

*fr or, when non-initial, by The corresponding transliteration

Y
and respectively. Native writers make no distinction
will be 5 o,

both by *T. As in the case

between these two sounds, representing
interchangeable, «*T o being
of TF e and * *, *T o and *
u are freely
Thus, we
preferred in the north and * u
in the south.
usually
I obtained.
have either q^ftrf jpoSW or mfjfatia*',

In Sanskrit the vowels $ o% and «ft du are really diph-

13.
Then-
thongs made up of <*! +T fl + 1 and «I + « & + m, respectively.

pronunciation is dis-
origin is and au,
therefore at and the
pronunciation of the ai in
tinctly long. We may compare the
the ou in the English word our.'
the English word aisle, and of
'

words directly borrowed

In Maithili these sounds only occur in
6 Maithili Grammar. 13^
[ §

from Sanskrit as in ^%^ Kalkeyi, cfta dusadh. In Maithili

these letters invariably represent an older w+T (or -p)a (not a) +
i (or e) and w +^ (or Wt) a (not 8) + u (or o) respectively. In fact,

at the present day native writers sometimes write ir and qft and
sometimes ^ or *r^, ^t or ^ft, Thus they write the present
participle of the root ^ dekh, see, sometimes ^|f*T (or in this book

^ff dekhait) and sometimes f?3T (or in this book \-mxj\ dehhdit).
I have even, on occasions, seen the word spelt ^ffarT, in which
the ? is merely a fulcrum for carrying the f much as alif is em-
ployed in Hindostani. Again 'I shall obtain' written
is «nS
(or in this book ^ paibai), m& (or in this book wgn paebai),
or *«r (or in this book t*?j paibai). Similarly they indicate 'he will
obtain." by q^ffr'? (or in this book TOfftx paiitah), WrTi^ (or
in this book mffrrk padtah) or qfai* (or in this book ifate
pantah). Native writers make no distinction between the Sanskrit
and Maithili at and an. Both ai sounds they represent, in the
Sanskrit fashion by ir, and both an sounds by *rh As, however,
the Maithili sounds are shorter both by origin and in pronunciation.

I represent the short sounds by $ (or, when non-initial, by '*),

and by ^ (or, when non-initial by>), respectively. In translitera-

tion, I represent the long sounds by <m and cm, and the short sounds
by ai and au.

It is important to note that the Maithili $ ai and gg> au are

merely alternative graphic representations of
^ ai or w ae and
<S<s a u or ^jt ad, respectively. This rule must be borne in mind in
counting syllables for applying the rule of the short antepenulti-

mate (§ 33, ii) in which both > ai and ^ count each as two syllables.

Thus, the word ^r?T dekhait, seeing, must be considered as a word

of three syllables, m., ^ de + *§ kha + ^ it, and not as one of

two.

As, whatever the method of writing employed may be, the

 «

§14.] Pronunciation of Vowels.

* and U* and is in each case

pronunciation of <*T and of <3T

shall in future make no distinction in transliteration.

identical, I

I shall represent both *K and * by at, and both *? and ^ by

^ will be represented by ae
(pronounced, however, the same
a».

as at), and ^ will be represented by ao

(pronounced as aw).
in their methods
14 Native scribes are by no means uniform
in writing. In the table below I give
of representing vowel-sounds
this grammar, and also the more
the system of speUing adopted for
usual scribal variations.

Variations often employed by

System of spelling adopted in
native scribes.
this Grammar.

* initial (W, • -ish, W», * fl*«0. * (**) ' l***")

seems ).
'
!

t (***) (very common),

(feftar, written).
T medial
f initial (t*T, a brick). |
* (*l%l).

or w (yp).
« initial (w, a torch). I

J (j*l),

« initial (**, high). ^ (»j), or ? (*».

* (w) (very common).
« medial (n* f
false), j

5 initial (jfJF. one).

, S initial (tJV, twist). 3 (ft).

** c
$ initial (^tr, direction). *T (*"it).
IT ( i

varieties of spelling, aud have nothing to

NOTE.-A11 the above are only
do with pronunciation.

b^om.g ,e
afdTseeTto »
that at the present da y the J.weU,
aet yet beea established.
arc

coalesce, bat that the eastern has

 8 Maithili Grammar. T ^ 15

15. The vowels <& r ^ f and ^ Z only occur in words

borrowed direct from Sanskrit. When so met, they are pronounced
like ri, ri, and li, respectively. They are never found in pure
Maithili words.

16. The following is therefore a complete conspectus of all

the Maithili vowels. Those which are only found in Sanskrit
words are marked with the letter S.

Short. Long.

* a 4 .i

«rt a *rr a

m r ( s -) -^ r (S.)

« I
(S.)

$" ai ^ aT (S.)

^a »
<ft <£u (S.)

17. The Sanskrit Ylsarga ( :

) no longer exists in Maithili ex-
cept in a few borrowed words. The character is, however, as stated
above, sometimes, but rarely, employed to indicate the sound of the
letter a.

18. Anusvara (
'
), when immutable, is also retained in a few
words borrowed from Sanskrit. It is very commonly employed (like
the changeable anusvara of Sanskrit) as a compendium scripture*
for *• n, <5? n, nr n, sr «, or «r w before another consonant of the
same class. Thus ^T instead i**j bunda. It will hence be re-
presented in transliteration by n, n, n, n, or m, according to circum-
stances. Native winters very commonly employ instead
it of
anunasika.

19. Anunasika (
*
) is met extremely frequently. It indi-
cates the nasal sound which we hear in the French word 'bon.>
 Pronunciation of Consonants. 9
§ 24. ]

It will be represented in transliteration by the mark ~ placed over

the nasalised vowel. Thus ^fa^T akhiya. an eye. W md or w
m% in : ¥ff% &§&*, an arm ; ^*3W& dekJi a lah*, I saw.

20. Consona?its.

<S k, ^ fefe, 3T p, ^ grfe, T n. ^ c, v ch, sf j, *« i* •

^ »i * *•

Z ft ? rf. * dh, 7T. *, « ft •% d, * tft »r n, \ p, «5 pfc, "J

&,

*? 6ft. * m, * ;/. sr r, ^ Z, * M>, *T *, * *, and ^ ft are usually

pronounced as in Sanskrit.

21. When v tf and * dh are not initial they become ^ r and

*rh. These cerebral r-sounds, are not so definitely cerebral as
in Western Hindi. They are very frequently interchanged with
T r a nd * rh respectively, and. indeed the latter dental sounds
horse'
approach the correct pronunciation. Thus. a
'

more nearly
which two the latter is the
is either *T? qUr or *H ghdr, of

Native custom as to writing these sounds

preferable spelling.
fluctuates.

pronunciation of «* n is peculiar. The cerebral

22. The
much more marked than in the Sanskrit of
nature of its sound is

Eastern India. It has more the sound of a muffled cerebral r

pronounced almost like

followed by a cerebral n; e.g., TO* is

sound, impossible to
Rabam. the r in rn having a peculiar muffled
•describe in writing. * n is occasionally substituted for * n and is
.then pronounced as n.

always become ^J and * b re-

23. Original m y and «f»
* and * are often retained in
spectively, although the letters
"
will^strictly follow
writing. In the following pages the spelling
the pronunciation. Thus I shall write «?** jduban. not far
The only cases in which we
yaHvan, and wm bat, not *TT?r wot.

with their proper pronunciations are when they

find «r y and 9 mj

.are used euphonically—like the ya-smti of the Prakrit

Gramma-

rians, — as described in the following sections.

24. When two vowels, of which the latter is short or long a

.come together, a euphonic ??j or * w is often inserted to prevent

*° Maithili Grammar. [§24,
a hiatus. The is insertion
generally optional, and is merely
intended to facilitate utterance. This euphonic insertion takes

place between a and a, between i and a, between e and a, between

v and a, and between <J and a.

(i) Between a and a the semi-vowel which is inserted is

always^. 1
^sr^r nen a -a becomes 5*\*\ nen a u-0. a boy. In this case
the insertion is not optional, but is compulsory.

(ii) Between i or e and a, the inserted letter is y. Thus

JTTf^WT malia or *?jf%*TT maliya, a gardener. In this case the
insertion of the y is quite optional, but careful winters generally

insert it.

(iii) Between I or e and a it is always w which is inserted,

and the insertion is compulsory. Thus flT^ft^T maliwS for fli^far
malia, a gardener. Here it must be explained, that the iv was ori-

ginally really between a and a. Almost the only case in which i

immediately precedes a is in the redundant form of nouns (§ 41).

This form properly ends in ^*J^T iy a wa, thus —*nf%^r maliyawa
— and the T*T iy a is liable to be contracted to t i, so that we get

^ft^T maUwa.
(iv) Between ti or o and o, the inserted vowel is always iv.

The insertion is quite optional, not compulsory, but careful winters

usually omit it. We thus get «TQWr asua or ^rf$HT arnica, a tear.

In the following pages, I shall follow the usage of the most

careful writers, and shall spell upon the principles indicated by the
forms ir«f*T nen a ica, njf^r maliya, *rl"#ter maliwa, and ^TQ^T
asua.

The above are the only instances in which 57 y and \ ic really

occur in Maithili, and it will be seen that, as they are euphonic
additions and only appear between contiguous vowels, they can

never occur at the beginning of a word, except in the case of the

incorrect native spellings indicated in § 14.

1 In Western India, on the contrary, it is usually y.

g 26. 1 Pronunciation of Consonants.
H
diphthongs * ai and
It must, however, be mentioned that the

„> cm are often written W ay* and W aiv* by some writers.

Again the vowel 7 e is often

This is only a question of spelling.
o is often written * tea. Thus we
written * ya, and the vowel *t
*WT any one, written
find tvn hoeb, to be, written *T«W ;
fceo,

This again
WT tyo; and m^m pool I got, written *i** i^m/. is

of spelling. The pronunciation is not affected.

a mere matter

25. The sibilants W i and * s only appear in words borrowed

The only sibilant which Maithill has of its own is

from Sanskrit.
pronounced as in Sanskrit but * s when
the dental * s. V s is ;

consonant is
standing and not compounded with another
alone,

always pronounced like « kh. Thus

sasth, sixth, pronounced W
khasth. This pronunciation is universal: the vulgar even write

such a * s phonetically * kh. In the compound consonant * rs

? s is also always pronounced as <a kh ;

e.g. VW «*** is

« kh sound of * s is pro-
pronounced Bfarftfta* By some this

as a guttural check-
nounced as a guttural breathing, and not
kh, or the eh in 'loch.'
something, but not quite, like the Persian £
which is
The compound letter * ftp is pronounced like <* cc7<,

**( is so written,
occasionally written for it by the vulgar; e.g.

but is commonly written

and is pronounced as Laksmi by purists,

and pronounced «<*?t Lacch'mu The compound * sp is peculiar.

It is pronounced something like hfp; e.g., ^ pusp, a flower, is

Sanskrit
pronounced puhfp. This seems to be a relic of the old

upadhmaniya.
V for f thus, they write
Native scribes regularly write s <J ;

HOT sagar, instead of *W sagar, the sea, The pronunciation is,

however, always that of a dental * s. In Magadhi Prakrit every

* s was pronounced as W i. This pronunciation has long ceased to

exist in Bihar, but the mode of writing has survived.

when compound with v y, becomes ff

26. The letter <3 h,

Sanskrit, pronounced in a
which, in words borrowed from
is
hy,
 —

12 Maithill Grammar. [§27.

peculiar way. If zh be taken to represent the Persian j zh, the
pronunciation of this compound can best be represented by zhjy ;

e.g., ^rTU", fit to be accepted, is pronounced grdzhjya, the final ^

a being retained in pronunciation, though usually inert, for the
sake of euphony (§8).

27. The mute lettersare divided into surds and sonants.

Surds and sonants may each be aspirated or unaspirated. Thus

Surds.
 .

S 27.] Pronunciation of Consonants. 13

S~ r may become W n. Thus, WT¥ bhar or Will W/ra, an

earthen pot.
\~ d may become «T ». Thus, #f«? »fd or ^tsr «n, sleep.

1 ~ b may become *T. ?n. Thus. #fW nib or ^tfl »im, a

n hn -tree

(ii) \ ~ gh may become ^ nh. Thus. €f"9 sfgrfc or »ft^

sink, a lion.

\f! ~ jh may become ^ nh. This, as in the case of V

-
/, is very rare. Example flTOF m%jh or wr^* mSnh, middle.

V <~ >7< may become i^f nh. Thus, %TC k$rh or ^l^n? fconA,

a pumpkin.

V ""
dh may become *f nh. Thus *1T<* bddh or «rP5

&S»fc, bind. Compare as a reverse example *fJT*W kanh or ^JTS fcfik&,

a name of Krsna.
Thus or «|t?
V ~ bh may become *? mh. ^([H &7ia&ft

khamh, a pillar.

All the above changes are quite optional. Those of ¥ ~ r.

V ~ rfc, \ ~ '/• V ~ dfc, "* ~ &, V ~ &&, are very common.

The others, especially those of %r ~ j and %fi -^ are more

rare.

There is one point to be noted. The aspirated nasals .

^nu }

o^ nh, ff nh,*% nh, and *? mh, are never treated as compound

letters, and do not make a preceding vowel long by position.

They are treated exactly like aspirated mutes *§ kh, ^ gh, W ch, W
jh, and so on. They might indeed be added as single letters to the

alphabet. Thus :
—
Gutturals,^ fe, « kh, J) g, \ gh, W n, ^ nh.

Palatals. ^ c. w eh, mj, V{jh, s? », **»&•

Cerebrals, Z t, * fA, ¥ rf, ?.r, * #*, W r*» <* ?> ^ ?A '

Dentals, if *, ^ th, \ d, « dfe, sr », •« »A.

Labials \p, \ph, *b, ^bh, w m, ^ ?»A.

14 ITaithili Grammar. f § 28.

Accentuation.

28. The stress accent exists in Maithili, but is not strongly

pronounced. In counting syllables for fixing the place of an accent,
the final silent a of words ending in a consonant, and a final imper-
fect * and u are not considered. On the other hand, the imperfect
a the middle of a word, corresponding to the
in Hebrew sh a v:a

mobile, is counted as a syllable. For instance, in the word ^*3W&

dekh a ldh r', there are for our present purposes three syllables, viz.,

< de +^ frA a + ^F5? lah*.

(i) If a word ends in a consonant (whether followed by imper-

fect * or » or not) preceded by a long vowel or a diphthong, the

main accent is on the last syllable. Thus fawrf kisan, a cultivator :

^«3<?ia?f*5 dekhfllakunh 1
,
you saw ; f ^P^-^f^ dekhfiliainh*, I saw.

(ii) If a word ends in a fully pronounced vowel, and if the

penultimate is long, the accent falls on the penultimate. Thus
<ufa" pani, water ; wT^tST chbtdkkd. small.

(iii) In other cases (except in the case of words borrowed

from Sanskrit) the accent falls on the antepenultimate. Thus

^??Tr hdm a ra, me; ^frsffsr 16k a
m\ people; WTT^T khup a r} a hut;

^l^TS dekha ldhs, I saw ; f?r?if%^T titaliya, a butterfly.

If a word, which has the accent on the antepenultimate, takes

a suffix, the antepenultimate becomes the syllable before the ante-
penultimate, and may optionally retain the accent. Thus, the word
fwH^t tit a li, a butterfly, has the accent on ti. the antepenultimate.

The long form of flnT^ft tit a ll is made by suffixing a, and we get

fflfff%*TT titaliya. This ordinarily has the accent on td. the new
antepenultimate, according to the above rale ; thus titdliya, but
some people retain the accent on the ti, and say titaliya. Pronun-
ciation in this respect fluctuates much.
(iv) In words borrowed from Sanskrit, the accent mav be
thrown back as far as the syllable before the antepenultimate,
provided the antepenultimate and the penultimate are both short.
Here again pronunciation varies. frf^trTT, deceitf ulness, may be
either kutilata or kiitil a ta.
 .

Shortening of the Antepenultimate. 15

§ 32. 1

29. If the accent does not fall on the first syllable of a word,

that syllable has a secondary accent, which I indicate by the sign

as in khan, dekh a lahunh'\ dekh a lidinh\ chotdkka, titdliya and
kutil a ta given above.

30. word ends in imperfect or and if the last syllable

If a »
tt

has not the main accent of the word, then that syllable has a
1
secondary accent, as in t^f«l dehhath he , may see ; <s**35 kdkarah*,

anyone (accusative) ; ^m^lis dekha lahs , I saw.

31. In compound words, the firstmember retains its own stress-

accent as a secondary accent, the stress-accent of the second mem-

ber being the stress-accent of the word. Thus fl-^ miikh a cdnd,

the moon of a girl's face. Compound words borrowed directly

from Sanskrit are often treated as simple words. Thus fspgnifff

bidya-pat'1 which, according to the above rule, should be pronounced

,

bidyd-pdt 1
is always pronounced b)dyapdt'\ The word is the name
•of a famous poet of Mithila.

Rule op the Short Antepenultimate.

32. The following rules are most important. They are applied
rigorously throughout the whole system of Maithili Grammar, and
unless they are fully grasped, much of what is in the following pages
will be found obscure.

(i) The rules here given apply only to MaitMli words. They

wards borrowed direct from Sanskrit, which are not

do not apply to

subject to change.

the whole Maithili language is adverse to the

(ii) The genius of
long vowel in a Maithili word, when it would occupy a
existence of a
position removed more than two syllables from the end of a word.

Xote. In counting syllables neither the final silent a, nor a final imper-

* or * counts as a syllable but the medial imperfect <*, corresponding to

fect ;

the Hebrew shard mobile does so count. Thus W ghar, a house, is a word

of one syllable ; ^^ dekhab, 1 shall see. *IWtf< aoi {

.
and, ^*T*J sututh"

let him sleep, are words of two syllables; while ^fiTf* sutihd, sleep thou,

and ^^*l dekh*be, you will see, are words of three syllables.
 —

16 Maithili Grammar. [ § 33,

33. The practice of shortening a vowel is subject to the

following rules :

(i) Whenever the vowel 5fT a finds itself in the antepenulti-

mate syllable, i.e., in the third from the end of the word, it is

shortened to «3T a. Thus, iJF3^r nana (or, contracted, H^^fT nana) long
form of in'as nau, a barber; wfmi agiya, long form of ^ifJT ag*,

fire; TOTNra pdoldh (or, contracted, ttW^ pauldli) 2nd plur.

past of TnF*T paeb, to obtain *fc<jr«K mdra lak. he struck, from
;

fllt^ mclrab, to strike ; ^ffrl^T batiya, long form of 3T?r 6a£, a word.

There is a tendency to pronounce and write this shortened

^T a as if it were *i a, so that we sometimes hear, instead of the

above ;
iTSUr naila ; ^fireT agiya ; «rf<T?iT batiya. But this is only
in the case of nouns. ^r\ a does not often become a in verbs, as
^f

this would tend to give rise to ambiguity. Thus, the verb mar, means
' strike,' while, if we shortened it to mar, the root would mean '
die/
Sometimes, however, Ave find ^jr a shortened to ^ a, even in verbs.
In this respect, the rule is that we may have ^ a if no ambiguity
occurs. Compare § 7.

(ii) Similarly, any other vowel finding itself in the ante-

penultimate, is shortened, provided a consonant which is not euphonic
*i y or ? w follows it. Thus, fa*f*<ff sikh'lak, he learnt, from

v/ #t*§ sikh, learn ; ^n?W dekha'it (or, contracted) ^^W dekhait),

seeing. On the other hancb ^^ta cu a lah or ^^IT? cuic a lah, he

dripped ; €ta^<tf sl a lak or #tw* siy a lak, he sewed ; from roots

^ cu and i^ si ;
in which the long I and the long u are retained as
they are followed by vowels or by euphonic y or w.

From the above it will be noted that the contraction of a and i

to ai does not affect the shortening. In other words > ai and *ft

au, for the purposes of these rules, count as two syllables each.

(iii) Any vowel whatever, finding itself removed more than

three syllables from the end of the word is shortened, whether it is
 Vocabulary. 17
§ 37.]

followed by a consonant or not. Thus ^nT^f** cuitHhinh* (if)

he had dripped, from root ^cfi ; tt^n; hoiai (or, contracted ***$•

become, from root Tt ho, become ^f%f«T^l^ dekhitiaii

hoiai), (if) I ;

(or, contracted ^fijrft^Y dekhitiau) (if) I had seen you, from root

^j dekh.

34. writers of Maithili no fixed usage has as

Amongst native
of the
yet established itself regarding the graphic representation
short antepenultimate. Though it is always pronounced short,
it is often Thus we find the words given
written long.

above sometimes written ifT^T, *TfJTOT, ir*fa^ (or v\wi)

*rn?T*, Wrf«l*T, ftW*, and <J^ftftsr, and sometimes WW (or

*ftal), *fa*l, WW*, «*«*, *f»W, fa*W«, and ^wW*

^*tfT and ^Ttj^ are, of course always written ^«x;*r and TTT*
short or ai.
as the writers have no character for
e, o,

shortening of
All the above examples have exhibited the
35.
is followed in
vowels long by nature. Exactly the same principle
the case of vowels long by position. When such
vowels precede a
(usually a nasal plus a mute, or a double
compound consonant
mute), the nasal is weakened to anunasika, and the double conso-

nant is simplified. Thus from the root ** bandh, to bind

we have WW badhud or *«W banhua (see § 27, ii) not WW( T

bandhua, a prisoner and from the long form (see § 41)
;
*Y**T
chofalPwS.
chotakka, small, we have the redundant form *te«*r

CHAPTER II.

Vocabulary.

I have more than once made

In the preceding pages
36.
words and Sanskrit words.
a distinction between Maithili
is an Indo-Aryan language,
Maithili
and though the
37.
not strictly accurate, it may conveniently be said to be
statement is
According to native belief it is so
descended from Sanskrit.
3
 —

18 Maithili Grammar. [§ 38.

descended. 1
In the course of its development it passed through
various stages, the latest of which (before the birth of Maithili)
was that known as Magadhi Prakrit, the colloquial language of the
whole of Bihar, in various stages of development from, say, the time
of Buddha (550 b.c.) down to about a.d. 1000. 8 From this
Magadhi Prakrit are directly descended not only Maithili and the
other languages of Bihar, but also Bengali, Assamese, and Oriya.
For our present purposes it is sufficient to remember that the
Maithili Vocabulary is descended from Sanskrit through Magadhi
Prakrit.

38. In order to supply real or fancied deficiencies in this

vocabulary, writers have borrowed words from other languages,
English, Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit. The English, Persian,
and Arabic importations are very few in number, but the case is
different with Sanskrit. In the vocabulary compiled for this
work, out of the first hundred words, about twenty-seven
may claim to be more or less distorted forms of words borrowed
direct from Sanskrit, without having passed through Magadhi
Prakrit. These borrowed Sanskrit words are just as foreign to
the language as are Latin words borrowed at the present day by
French or Italian. Natives are quite aware of the existence of these
two classes of words, They
and have given each class a name.
call the words borrowed from Sanskrit Tatsamas, same as i.e., *
the
It '(' It' being Sanskrit), while the true Maithili words, which
have developed naturally through Magadhi Prakrit they call
'
Tadbhavas '
i.e., '
sprung from It.'

39. The distinction between these two classes of words is of

importance, for Tatsamas, like all borrowed words in all languages,
are treated as foreigners and are not subject to the phonetic rules
which govern Tadbhavas. For instance, the rule of the short
antepenultimate does not apply to Tatsamas. Again Tatsamas can-
not be conjugated (with one or two rare exceptions) as verbs. For
instance ^*TT darsan is a Tatsama meaning '
seeing,' but we cannot

1 Accurately speaking, it is descended from an ancient form of Indo-

Aryan speech akin to, bnt not the same as, that which became fixed by
ancient literary use in the form of Sanskrit.

It must be understood that these limits are only approximate.

§ 39.] Vocabulary. 19

say ^STif-^jfw dartanai-ach 1 , he sees. If we want to use the word

we must compound it with another Tadbhava verb and say ^«f qnc-

^{V darsan karai-acht, he does seeing. From this it follows that

the class of Tatsama words is confined to nouns substantive or

nouns adjective, and that, as a broad rule, no verb can be a
Tatsama,
For the future, on the following pages, I shall employ these
two words, tatsama and tadbhava, in the sense explained above.
 —

PART II.

DECLENSION.

-.•!•»-

CHAPTER I.

Formation of Nouns.

40. Space will not permit us to go at any length into the

question of the formation of Maithili nouns. It must suffice to say

that, with few exceptions, nouns are formed on the same principles
as in Western Hindi, and in other Indo-Aryan languages. I shall

first deal with

Equivalent Forms of Nouns.

41. All nouns, whether substantives or adjectives, admit of

various equivalent fonns, i.e., of various forms which do not differ

appreciably in meaning. These forms are the short, the long, and

the redundant. The short form may be either tceak or strong.

In practice every noun does not take all these four forms, only

experience can teach which of the short forms (the weak or strong)
is employed in the case of any particular noun ;
but theoretically all

nouns, and in reality some few nouns, do take both. All nouns

can, at option, take the long and redundant forms.

42. The short form is the primary form by which the word is

generally known. It is also, in most cases, the only one admissible

in good and literary language.

43. Of its two varieties, the weak form is the shortest form of

the noun, generally ending in a consonant, a short *, or an imperfect

 ;

21
§ 47.] Equivalent Forms of Nouns.

«. Thus
„rfr a beating;
^ ^fe5r,

W*
a horse
cfttt,
;

small (masc.)
<sfr* »fc,

;
iron

w\f*
;
WTfa po*n«\ water

«S small (fern.).

44. The simply the weak form (when such

strong form is

a, or by the lengthening
exists) strengthened by the addition of *r

of the final vowel. When there is no weak form, the strong form
always ends in a long vowel. Thus, tf *T ghora, a horse ^Wr
loha, iron ; «rrft 'mart, a beating ; Vt*T chdto, small (masc.) ;
W^t
(no weak form), a tear; «ft*
chSti, small (fern.); ^T* asu

pothl (no weak form), a book.

forms of substantives are made by adding one

of
45. The long

or WT wa (sometimes vulgarly WT
a or
the suffixes *T a, *r ya^

^ ? urS or wS) to the short form, the final

£ i, «tf or yf, if

vowels of which, if long, are shortened. Thus t^I ghorHvd (or

-tAt-Hoi), a horse ; *fow mariya or «tf**T «**», a beating,

prfK», book; JfaWT ta>5 or wjfw

Vtfw^/m/a or^flWT a

ttsua, a tear.

forms of adjectives are similarly made by adding

46. The long

one of the suffixes *T fcfl or *T Ma (fern. * M or it fcl) to the

short forms. Thus, from ** bar or *T?T &ar* (short forms), great,

we have as long form WW bar'M. So from «* « or W^rT

tftflB, small, we have wt**T <*o|4fl or ^IV *<* and from

MTfT bMrt or in* Mart, heavy, nlfWT 6WWM or vfom bWrikka.
vtf* chof\ however, we
must go
For the long form of the feminine

back to the masculine *)* chof, and form a new feminine from the

**ft There is no such

long form. Thus,^^ cnot'ki or chofakki.

derived directly from

formaswtffcWT c^ftfcS or *tf*lir chotikka

The redundant forms of substantives and adjectives are

47.
forms of substan-
formed from their long forms precisely as long
tivesare formed from their short forms, viz.,
by adding WT a, *T
but, once these additions are
made
3,3, or WT u*, to the long forms ;
 )

Maithili Grammar. L§ 47.

there are frequent contractions. We thus get the following tabte

exhibiting all the forms at one view.

Short form.
Long form. Redundant form.
Weak. Strong.

Wte gfior, a ^fr ghora ^t^T ghor a tvS ^t^t^T ghorauwS,

horse (contracted
from ^Yf^^T
ghor a w a wd.

*(* (jhar, a none VTXT ghar a wa *Xt*t gharauwH

house (similarly con-
(masc. tracted).

None ^HT sabhd, an Him sabh a tca ^*n?T sabhauwa.

assembly
(fern.)

1TW bat, a word none ^tfall batiya Tncnr^T batiy a w&

(fern.)
(or contracted)
(So all femin-
*ffr?WT batiiva.
ines ending
in a conso-
nant.)

•iifl mar 1
, a *lft ITrftTT mariyfi *TifV*J*(r mariyHoU
beating.
or *fl<far mart-
(So an j noun
ending in wa.
».)

Vlfa pSni, none W5T*TT paniya XTrfsf^TTT paniy a tv&

water. ( So or XTpffaT £>an»-
any noun in

None. ifltft pothi, a q>fq*fT pothiya TTlfiq*HT pothiy*-

book. wd, or tfHJtaT

(So any noun in
§ 49.] Equivalent Forms of Nouns. 23

Short form.
 —

24 Maithili Grammar. [§ 50.

diminutive. Thus %£ft neni, a girl, #fa*n neniya, a little girl ;

^rre khat, a bed, ^fe*n khatiya, a cot.

50. The redundant form is used in much the same sense as

the long form, but only by the vulgar or in familiar language-
The vulgar, indeed, employ both the long and the redundant
forms as caprice dictates, in the sense of the short form The use
of the redundant form in this way is still more vulgar or familiar
than that of the long form.

Nominal Suffixes.

51. In the following examples, as my object is here purely

practical, I shall not attempt to distinguish between primary and
secondary suffixes. It must be understood that ^re; at or ^3F ae
and $ ai are always absolutely interchangeable, and so also ^^f au
or ^t ao and *$t au. I have written, in each case, the forms
which I have seen most frequently.

52. sfT a (Masculine). The strong short forms in <q\ a cor-

respond to the large class of Hindi nouns which end in *gr a, such
as Hindi ^TfT ghdra, a horse ;
but many nouns, which in Hindi
are only used in the strong form, in Maithili prefer the weak
form. Thus :

Maithili. Hindi.

*Q\*% anh, blind Hfa*T adha

^TO Kc, high 9T^FT ficd

*TT kan, one-eyed *TT*rr kana

m\^ kanh, the shoulder qifaT kadha
ji^K gahir, deep JlfaTT gahir a

JUT gor, pale iflTT gora

^"te" ghor, a horse QTCT ghoro

^•T cun. lime ^•TT cuna

WT chvr, a knife WTf chura

^fa«T dahin, right (not left) ^f^Tr dahinfi

W'Ht bahir, deaf *>%<\ bahirH

 — —

§ 55.] Nominal Siiffixes. 25

Maithili. Hindi.

$«J mus. a rat 3^r musd

^fr^ foft. iron ^TT^r lohS

^IT sar, a brother-in-law *?i^n sa?a

^f»T son, gold ^n«TT ?6«ff

l
So (weak form in )

«Tf<: mar\ a beating W^ iriSri

weak form.
In some cases Maithili has the strong, as well as the
Thus, *T?T ghora as well as *te gUr, WFS\ loha as well
as l6h, ^W
heard.
but in all the above, the weak form is the one customarily
Weak nouns are of course very common in Hindi. But I
think it is safe to say that they are much more common, both m
Maithili.
the case of masculine and in that of feminine nouns, in
53. *jr (i (Feminine). Nearly all the feminine words in *T <*

are tatsamas borrowed directly from Sanskrit, such

as UW sabha,
The only Maithili tadbhavas which I have noted as
an assembly.
drop, and the
ending in this letter are W** hund or V** bund a. a

connected mil buna, zero, the figure 0.

j

54. mil* as, These usually form desideratives as in

3T* was.
Hindi, but are not so common as in that language.
The only forms
which I have met in Maithili are :

f*TOTO pias, thirst ; hence fa^TW piasal, thirsty.

*TTm taros, thirst: hence rTTTW tarasal, thirsty.

(This word is not to be confounded with fTTTW taras, fear).

3?TO*J mut'was, desire to make water (Hindi ipri* midas).

^TWW hig"was, desire to stool (Hindi ^JTW hagns).

Other words with (in form) the same suffix, but not desidera-

tives, are such as :

H^nq jhapas, a violent burst of rain (so Hindi for jhapa-

vasa, sudden rain).

Jlffa garas, a pole-axe (Hindi Jl^T^T garasa).

obscure.
The derivation of the suffix in the last two words is

55. UTS ah. (Fern. ^Tf? *&), weak form ; ^r*T aha (Fern.
 —

26 Maithill Grammar. [§ 56.

dhi), strong form. This is a common adjectival termination in

Maithili. Thus :—
*n»<3!T^ adhHah, bad.

faw^l^ pich a rah, slippery.

1«TT^ batdh or ^^Tr^ baurah. mad.

^^T^7^ balunh, sandy.

The strong form is specially used in the following three

cases :

tlfw«»T^r pacMmahn, a man of the west.

^f*«n^T dachinaha, a man of the south.

^cTTITr uFraha, a man of the north.

But ^r puba, a man of the east.

56. As probably connected with these forms we may quote

<Tl^fW ghorahiya, a horse-dealer, which is the long form of -QtfT^
ghorahi, a masculine noun which I have not met in the short form.
Compare also ^z)•^t batohi, a wayfarer, from irz bat, a road.

57. r % weak short form ; t f,* strong short form ; T*n

iyfi, long form.
The weak short form is mainly employed to make femininea
from masculine weak short forms ending in a consonant ; as jftT
gor, fair, fern, jfrf*; gor\ It also forms feminine nouns generally,
as in oftf% gdh\ an iguana ; ^ffr dar\ a line ; ^ bhui (the
final vowel fully pronounced being preceded by a vowel, see § 10) ;

or *jT*rf bhuiya (long form), the ground; t?HJ|f?r laggat\ an

assessment ^ff% bah\ an arm ^r^^rfc karuar\ an oar ^J* dur

;
1
; ,
;

distance ; *nfjr ag l
, fire.

An important class falling under this head consists of femi-

nine verbal nouns formed by adding ^ •
to the root, as in Hrf* mar 1
,

a beating ; *j|% bhuV, an error.

In Hindi most of the above end in long t i, as in jftrt gorl,

jfTTt gohi. Sometimes in that language the final vowel is dropped,
as in *fa bah (fem.), an arm ;
^T dur (fem.), distance ; and in the
§ 5 Nominal Suffixes. 27

case of Hindi verbal nouns the?:* may be either dropped or

the strong form is used, as WIT mar (fem.) or WT^t marl, a beating.

Masculine nouns of this class (when in the weak form) end in

a fully pronounced ^ i, not in ?; *. They generally represent
Sanskrit words ending in ^ r (cr *&$ rka) *$ ika, **T iya, or Tf
in. Such are «Tlfw nati, a grandson ;
^fk dubi (masculine, not
feminine), dub grass ; tufa pa ni, water; ^fr keh a ri, a lion ;
^f%
dcifi, a rower ^% sfiri, a distiller ; ^f% teli, an oil-man ; fnfff^T

tamoli, a betel-seller ;
^)fs kafhi, a leper ; wfa mani, proud.

Many of these words are also pronounced with a long i; i , or, in

other words, have strong forms in use as well as the weak ones.

Thus, we have also -n^t nati, ^^\ keh a ri, fnst^t tamoli, and so on,

but the forms with short * i are the more usual. So, for feminine

^T*f* kakar or
1
nouns, we have «TfV mat' or *H§t mail, earth ;

^*^t kak a rl, a cucumber ; ^fsr fcft/' or Wt fc%'*, a key ; ^f* dah*

or ^t dahi, curdled milk (this word is feminine, not masculine).

The strong form in t i also sometimes occurs as the only form

for feminine nouns as in «fft maclii, a fly ; ir?t khari, chalk ;

^JTlfV

(and other similar abstract nouns, instead of

lagari, inquisitiveness

with the more usual termination *TTf ai). We sometimes meet

this feminine long t i in diminutives, as ^rf ddrh, a long beard,

^T<ft darhi, a beard. 3^ pujeri, a priest, and «T«ft moti, a pearl,

are examples of masculine words in t *, which do not also op-

tionally end in ^ i.

The long form is used, qud long form, in the case of any of

the foregoing nouns, and then usually has a meaning either fami-

liar, contemptuous, or diminutive, as in vr^t mali, a gardener, long

form flff^T maliya or wf^TCT maliya, the gardener (familiarly),
or (contemptuously) the wretched gardener ; Tt*ft pothi, a book,

Tftfa*n pothiya, a small book, *Yft korhi, leprous, qftfw korhiya,

a poor unfortunate leper.

The same long termination is employed to indicate (a) a man,
country, and (6) his profession.
 —

28 Maithili Grammar. [§ 58.

Thus :

(a) 'Sf^TT senhiya, a man of Sindh ; Wlf%*JT magahiya, a man

of Magah or Magadha ; fn*sfiTOT tir a hutiyd, a man of Tirhut or

Tirabhukti ; «*ifV?rc mathuriya, a man of Mathura ; «i*rff%«n

nep&liya, a man of Nepal ; M^ll^»JT pahariya, a man of the pahar

or mountain, a mountaineer.

(b) *r?f?H7r arhatiya, a broker; WRfTW kamariya, a blanket-

wearer, a labourer ; ^ftf^T ghatiya, a brahman who attends ghats.

Exhibiting character more generally are *«f%«n phusiyn, a

flatterer ; i^ff«nrr cikaniya, one who is always shining and clean

(from f^sr cikkan, smooth); and ^f^m dukhiya, one who i.s

miserable, poverty-stricken.

58. Connected with these X i-suffixes is *git ai or *nr St,

long form *u?;*jr at^o. As in Hindi, this forms abstract nouns.

Thus :
—V^nt bhalai, goodness ; Jsrsrrt khatai, acidity ; wTsrt chotnl,
smallness, and hundreds of others.

It is also employed to signify the wages or price of any opera-

tion, as in ^rrt curat, the wages of a herdsman : fa^it pisai, wages
of grinding ; wt kheioai, ferry hire ; *tait dholdi, the cost of
carriage. Connected with this are words like tfr^Tt dhoai, the
art of washing (as well as the cost of it) ; ?v*nf bat°nai, the art

of twisting ropes ; *i^r«nf pat a kanat, a task of winnowing.

The long form in ^^rr aiya is employed to form masculine

adjectives, such as ^Tfl gharaiya, domesticated (Hindi ^r^rr
gharela) ; ^ifT*n banaiya, wild ; J\M^q\ gamaiyn, rustic. It also

forms feminine diminutives, such as WZ T^r marhaiya, a small hut.

Compare (the short form) ?r^nt talal, a small pond (from rfTW tOl,

a pond). In Hindi, the long form fT^rj^n talaiya is preferred.

59. w im (weak form), jpn imd (strong form).— This suffix

also occurs in Bengali and Marathi. In Maithili it is found in the
word ^fif^m lalim or ^rfijWT lalima, redness.
 — —

Nominal Suffixes. 21f

§ 60.]

60. weak short {form m u, strong short form 3*rc

« «, ; ;

ua, —
long form. Where we have weak forms in Maithili, Hindi
has strong forms. Thus :

MI^T bhal u
, a bear; but Hindi Wit? bhalu.

W[<3 nan § 10, iii), a barber ; „ 5TJW nau.

11 buh u a son's wife

, ; ,, *W bahii.
*

3 u has altogether disappeared,

In some cases the imperfect
so that we have
WIST bal u or Wi^T bal (fern.) sand, but Hindi WT^fcflfa.

UT*» mam or even w«H mama, a maternal uncle, H. m^niamu.

In all these cases, the existence of the 'SMsa termination

is due to an accident of origin, and the termination does not neces-

sarily indicate any special shade of meaning. Most ^ ?t-suffixes

can be referred to the Sanskrit termination 3*» uka, which has also

survived without change, and will be found under the ^ fc-suffixes.

The suffix ^ u of the strong form often has the force of the

agent. Thus, '35173' ujaru, a destroyer ; ^T^i or (long form) ^T^T

khaua, an eater; 31$ daku, a shouter, hence, a robber ;

t>JTT3

bigaru, a spoiler ; nvf jharu, a sweeper, a broom. Less distinctive-

ly nouns of agency are ^VF sah a ru, a citizen (from ^

shahr, a city), and H^ pah a ru, a watchman (from q^T pahar,

a watch, a guard). In ai*T^ gamaru, rustic ; ^T*F dularu or (long

form) ^re^TT dularua, a darling; ^3*1^ meh

a raru, a woman; and

wiif bhageru, a runaway, the ^ ?2-suffix is simply pleonastic, as ex-

plained below, under the head of ^ I- Tr- 3 r-suffixes. The suffix

implies quality in «^ bhakku, a fool (Hindi Vf *T bhakua) ; 5^

nakku, long-nosed (Hindi, the same).

As usual, the long form <3^t ua is commonly employed con-

In
temptuously as in Vf^T bharua, a pimp, but not so always.
diminutive, while
^T^T dularua, quoted above, it is an affectionate
 —

30 Maithili Grammar. I § 61.

the meaning is unchanged in ^fajr khaua and in iriswr gerua, a large

kind of pillow.

Parallel to the WTT flf-suffix we have also an %T&\ flu-suffix,

with a long form ^r^TT or ^ifarr ana. It forms adjectives, as in

WH^^ jhag a rau or ^TOT^^^rr jhag a raua, quarrelsome; T^m rahau.

abiding, a dweller, an old inhabitant. The long form of fim^
bigaru, quoted above, is not the regular fajl^T bigarun, as we
might expect, but is f«Jl^t^r big a raua, as if formed from * fajl^m
big a ra~u.

Most causal verbs have their roots ending in ^t^ ate, and from
these a number of similar words are framed, such as &i^T*\jarau,
studded (with gems), jewelled. The termination ^r? aw is often

written *n^T ao, and this gives verbal-nouns, such as vmn^l" at a kao,

the act of stopping, which should be distinguished from the *rn*

uw-suffix.

61. «irt*? aunh or ^ftsf aun (fern. *}Yf% a unh* or ^Yfifaun*).

This termination forms adjectives generally implying a moderate

degree of the quality referred to. The final consonant in every

case may be either ^ nh or »r n. It agrees in sense with the Hindi

termination ^rr ela. Just as in Hindi we have jftTF gora, fair,

light-coloured, and itttm gorela, fairish, rather light-coloured,

so we have Maithili jfK gdr, fair, JiYtW goraunh or artTY^ goraun.

fairish. Other examples are :

^^T^ anh a raunh, darkish.

f^H1^ amilaunh, acidish.

^91<W uj a raunh, whitish ("S^TT ujjar, white).

y^O*^ us a raunh, saline (^R«3T usar, salt land).

llH kacaunh, rawish.

*fr.^f kariaunh, blackish (^nft fcfln, black).
 Nominal Suffixes. 31
§ 62.]

qqt^ kasaunh, rather astringent.

jft*r>5 gob a raunh, brown land (the colour of jfTTT gobar or

cow-dung).

jf)^ft>g golaunh, globular (jtw gdl, round),

fjnrfa? titaunh, bitterish.

^%lW dudhaunh, milky.

^^*§ dhuraunh, dusty (yft dhur*, dust).

£}«(W nenaunh, youthful (^«TT nend, a lad).

f<JTW piraunh, yellowish (vl^K piar, yellow).

^^^ phataunh, cracked (of milk).

^?Vf burhaunh, oldish [WB burh, old),

flafc? mathaunh, sour (*T^r mattha, buttermilk).

ifwV*? meghaunh, cloudy.

^iWVt? lalaunh, reddish (^rr*T Icil, red).

In all the above «r n may be substituted for *^ nh.

62. * A;. — A number of nouns are formed by the addition of

the letter ^i k preceded by a vowel.

With ^Wf uk, we have common words like ^T* sarak or tj«qi

sarak, a road ; ^iT«^f photak, a gate ; ^^3^ baithak, a seat.

Many are primary nouns, — formed from verbs whose roots end

in ^ k. They are the same in form as the roots. Such are l

^TH
atak, stoppage ;
<*«f* karak, a crash ; qs^* kacak, a sprain ; «a^*

kharak, a clang; WS<* khatak, 'pit-a-pat'; ir^* gahak, reeling in

drink ; "^3^f cauk, starting ; f^«sl«* cilak, ^Wf camak, *GWIW jhalak,

WW* jhamak, ^^f* dalak, ^^ damak, glitter; ^** catak, a crack,

snap and many;

others.

With *JTO ak or %fa ak, are ^^f* urak, one who flies (not

I
See Mr. Beames' Comparative Grammar, Vol. II, p. 31. My list has
been prepared by going through Mr. Beames' list with a native of Mithili.
32 Maithili Grammar. [§ 63,

causal, one who causes to fly) ; fq%TH piak, a drinker ^T*t carhak, ;

a rider. Adverbs are also made with this suffix, as iffYrar jhafdk,

suddenly ;
vgzm phatak, unawares cT^T* ; tarak, immediately ; WV*
patak, immediately ; vzre khatak, immediately.

With <s* uk. we have »rm^ martck. quarrelsome, one disposed

to fight.

With %jfr aik. we have iw** sehaik (Hindi 3*TT?r sewait),

a worshipper.

63. UK gar. This suffix implies agency. Thus 3|f**T kat a gar

thorny ; ^fl* hath a gar, able to use the hands ; ju^i* gor a gar, able
to use the feet. The last two examples occur in a poem describing
the babyhood of Krsna. As he grew big he began to be able to

use his hands and his feet. I have not met the suffix elsewhere in
literature, but it is very common in the colloquial language, and
can be employed with almost any word in the above sense. In
ordinary conversation ^mnc hath a gar means 'dexterous.'

64. tf t is mostly employed as the suffix of the present

participle, usually with ^ <"' prefixed, as in ^^JT dekhait, seeing.

When verbal roots end in vowels, the termination is lightened, as

in «TTT?T jSit, going ; f%<3?r siut, sewing ; "CurYW hoait or <*Hd

hdit, becoming. The suffix ^t?t ait, also occurs in words like

^3T*T carhait, a mounted man ; ^%X<1 dnkazt, a robber (these two

are really present participles) ; and «TfJT;«T natait, a relation (from

•TIcTT nata, relationship). There are several words similarly formed

from nouns in Hindi, but •TrTT*' natait is the only one which I have
noted in Maithili.

65. Of a quite different origin is a group of words ending in

*UT^f^ ahat*, *j<s^t aufi, or *r<5?Pt autl. These generally form

abstract nouns. Thus : Jlf ^Tl^fV gar a barohat\ confusion ; TOW-
wrr^t* gaj a bajahat\ confusion i Jj^aj^i^-fk gtd'gtdahat 1
, whispering
 0>3
s 66 1
Nominal Suffixes.

OT^f* ghan'ghanahar, a great noise; WW^ «*»«-

conflfca^ speaking loudly ; W*VS*j%fr phar-pharShat *, throbbing;

humming in the and many other
miwr^ san'sanahat*, ear.

It will be observed that all these words contain

similar forms.
less onomatopoeic. Maithili re-
reduplications, and are more or
for this class of words, and has
serves the termination *i*f* ohatK

no words corresponding to (e.g.) the Hindi fefem * khiiiyahat,

In Maithili these ideas
fretfulness: ^*V& khuj'lahat. itching.
are represented by frf*^ khisiyaeb and §i^r^ fc-Hf** re-

^of the infinitive or verbal

spectively, the termination «|?« oe6

the place of the Hindi <5P**

noun) being usually employed
in

ahat. Cf. § 67.

««ft auti which is connected

The termination ***t «4f or

common as in Hindi. It forms an

with the above, is not so
sidhauti, uprightness (from fe« siddh,
abstract noun in f*«*T
upright). It expresses property in words like *Z^ jethautf, the
share of an eldest son, and vn* bapauti, the share of a father.

while mere
Connected with this idea is ***** chofauti, ransom ;

relationship is indicated in words like mft harautL a particular

Hindi <rffct haraufi, a

bamboo with a narrow pipe
(cf.
kind of
sikautl, a reed basket, from
staff, derivation doubtful); fwift
a box for holding lime; «»<«*
ft* dt, a reed;**^ -~«ft
kajarautl. a box for holding collyrium.

n (fem. f* »*,) weak form; *r Rfl (fern. *t «0 strong

66. if

form.
the characteristic letter, are common
Suffixes of which q « is

we exclude the numerous tatsama

words m
in Maithili (even if

Such suffixes are not employed to

ana borrowed torn Sanskrit).
make infinitives as they are in Hindi.
are frequently employed
to make
Both weak and strong forms
nouns of the instrument.
Such are :—
5
 —— —

34 MaiihiU Grammar. [§ 66.

(a) Masc. weak forms^

^q^«T cap a kan, a close-fitting coat ( */^W capak. compress).
WfT chattan, a gold-washer's pan.

^f^r«T dUsan, a washerman's mallet.

^ij^iT datuan, a tooth-brush (^f*T daLt. a tooth").

*T»^55T pafkan. an instrument for teasing cotton.

W\"Z*f bdrhan, a broom.

»Hff mahan, an oil-mill pestle.

^fti*T lopan, a poker.

From causal roots we have

tjtt«T gheran, a fence.

VTTT^'T at a rnwan, the reeds of a loom for keeping the threads

apart (cf. Skr. ^*fn; antara).

•g^TRsr cap'ratcan, a perforated block of iron for shaping

nailheads.

^TJTRT lagawan, a stuffed calf-skin shown to a cow to make

its milk flow, literally, '
an appliance.' hence '
an im-
posture."

(b) Fern, weak forms

^T^rf^r calan*, a sieve.

*I^f)£*T chaon', an encampment (wi* ch/iw, thatch 1.

*?Nf*l pian', tobacco for smoking (as distinct from snuff).

^n^f«T laran*, a grain-parcher's broom.

(c) Masc. strong forms

^8^*TT akhaind, a threshing rake.

lf^«Tr ac a no, a poker.

f%^TtT5Tr khikhor a nd, a weaver's scraper.

^fTsri kar a na, a curd-vessel.

m?*U jhap'nd, ^qtsrr dhak a nn. or ^q«TT dhap"nd, a cover.

affTTT jhar a nn, a broom.

 — —

OK
§ ggj Nominal Suffixes.

fqzsn pit a nd, a cobbler's mallet.

W*«n bhar'na. the stuffing of a

quilt.

( *ff* mgcfc,
a moustache).
«TW moc«na. a barber's tweezers

From causal roots, we have

a toy.
i-TufT* khelaon or ^srfar khelauna.

W^sn chorauna. a door-key.

focfcaon or f^SWTTr bfchaona or fa*Vt bichauna.

ftVTOto
bedding,

fa^ftifr milaunn, a potter's smoother.

^vfT«Tl hathauna. a toddy- vessel,

(rf) Fern, strong forms. These are the most common of all—

^r^^t khurac a ni. a pot-scraper.

3

W»5t nbah a nl. a well-rope.

<*STsft kataroni, a cobbler's awl.

faT^t <jhir a m. a pulley.

f***5rr chita kam, a door-bolt.

W^sft chBuPni, a potter's cutting

string.

*«ft c%Sn>, a chisel.

Sffsft thek nl. a prop.

a

«T«j^t nathunu a nose-ring.

sr^ift Mafcar«wi, a nail parer. a gouge.

^«ft bat a ui, a silk-reel.

i*3^t bais a ni. a seat.

«?j^t ;aath a n>. a kind of hammer.

*T^rt rr<ah a nl. a churn-dasher.

From causal bases

^<rt^t calav.nl. a windlass handle.

*^>ift chalaimu the cover of an ass*s pad.

fT^t tarauni, a sweetmeat-stand.

 — — —

36 Maithili Grammar. [§66.

The sanie suffixes are also employed to indicate an occupation,

trade, or profession. Thus :

^n^«T koran, hoeing.

ftoisf pisdn, the trade of oorn-grindino\

%•! f»r leu den, taking (and) giving, trade, traffic.

*reT3«T patCncait, irrigation.

<
3W^«tt uch a tani, weeding.

^T««ft kat a ni, reaping.

**i^it kamaini, weeding.

«*Tt«ft keruuni, weeding.

fk^»t*t tip a ni, superficial weeding.

S'jmt tug ani, a special method of leaping.

Vi<$\ pha^ni, the application of the ploughshare (tjjT phar),

the first ploughing of the season.

^JftsTt degaum, separating grain from the ears by beating on

the ground.

I have not noted any strong masculine forms in str no in this

sense.

The same suffixes are further extended to imply the result of

any occupation, or even a more indefinite connection with the

root. Thus :

»PC«r charan, a grass thatch.

MT^*T dhoan, opium-washings.

^^IT«r bahdrun, sweepings.

^^cft cat a ni {y/ ^\z cat, lick), a relish with food, '
chutnee.'

fer«T*Tt chit a nl, a broken basket.

Causal bases sometimes take the suffixes to indicate a cere-

monial observance. Thus we have :

Y"1^T cumawan, the kissing ceremony in a marriage.

#S[ff»?t ehekauni, the stopping at the door, part of a marriage

ceremony.
 W

§ 68 #
Nominal Suffixes.
]

to a bride on showing her

q&tfft mudekhauui, presents given
face.

Compare WJl^t mag'ni, a betrothal.

agency are formed with the strong form

of this
A few nouns of
indecent
suffix. Those which I have noted are all vulgar and
abusive terms, such as vwt hag*na, g**T mut'na, or t^T pad-no.

done to excess.
They all imply that the action indicated is

67. * b, <** ab, TR eb.— This forms infinitives and verbal

nouns, as in %m* dekhab, to see, the act of seeing.

When a verbal

root ends in «*I a or wt o, the suffix is T& eb, not W ab. Thus

TT5* to become. In
tthpt paeb, to obtain ; m\TP* jaeb, to go ;
fofefc,

& deb, to give, and *r* fc&, to take, the junction vowel is dropped.

it also
When this suffix is added to intransitive roots in **T o,

forms abstract nouns, as in fHrfa*nj* kMsiydeb, fretfulness (from

kuriyaeb, to be angry.
"P fofw hMsiya, to be fretful), f ff <nt5*
€f. § 65.

6$. <? I- T /-
f /--suffixes — The letter <U I is characteristic of

many noun forms.

*!*
The simplest is ^^ al. (fern. ^f*r>.Z*),or (strong form)

(fern. ^€t a U).

*j«H al forms past participles, such as %** dekhal (fern, t*f*

in vowels, it is some-
dehhal*), seen. In the case of verbs ending

times <3*T ul, T*l U, ^ »l or ^r*T ol. Thus f*^ dal or f<JW siuh
obtained.
sewn ; gw »**«. dead ;
*rtj«T ae/, come RTWtST ;
pfioZ,

It also forms adjectives on the same lines, such as ^W?W

dukhael, grieved (also a past participle) ; Tw?* ninael, drowsy ;

<%T\?m derael, fearful ; *«Pt^ ghamael, perspiring :

^T3^ augSel,
sleepy ; *KJTTTPjl sar'mael (from ^ sTiarm, shame) bashful; and

many others. All these may be looked upon as participles of

neuter verbs, whose roots end in ut (7.

employed to make verbal nouns or

The same termination is
 —

3b Maithili Grammar |_§ 68.

infinitives, with an oblique form in ^r 6, a& ^W d&khah the act of

seeing; <*W 9 dekha la sd, from seeing.

The strong form if^rr °ld is generally employed to make dimi-

a
nutives, and its feminine ^i^t H is used for things of a still

smaller size. Thus ^*W cuk a Ia, a paste-board ( from ^r<* cflfc. a

wheel) ; f^ff ^t tikidi, a wafer; ^rra^t kothfili, a small room :

fl**«*T

tas a la, a brass vessel, fT^Tt tas a li, a small one.

Another connected suffix is TW il, strong form ^T ila, which

is not so common in Maithili as elsewhere. It forms possessive
adjectives from substantives. The only true Maithili examples

which I have noted with certainty are «Tfai«!T mdjhild, the middle

of three brothers, or the second of four brothers ;

and ^tf»*^J sajhil,

the third son of a family of four or more.

Of much more frequent occurrence is the closely related ^r^T

ail, with the same meaning. It is often found where literary

Hindi has other suffixes. Thus :

Maithili. Hindi
WTTT^T tonail, pot-bellied Wr^^T tudail.

"*\*XM dhodhail, pot-bellied vi^MT dhodhald.

^JIT^T ddyuil. a bi-awler <CTS7*T daga.it.

'TPffT^r bojhail, load-bearing ^^T^T bvjhail.

In ^^r basaild, a youny bamboo, the strong form, like ^*Tr

'Ha forms a diminutive.

Another form of ^?;^JT mid is ^rr eld, which we have in

*J<5W*JT sauttla, of or belonging to a co-wife, and (feminine dimi-

nutive ) ^«G«^ft khomlieli. a small pillar.

Parallel to ^^T il. we have <3^T id in ^fr5J«T kSpd, a worker,

bread-winner. Its strong form ^^rr via. fern. ^«s»t uli, is more
common, and, like the other strong forms, the feminine usually is a
diminutive. Thus :
—
fc^J^t tikidi, a wafer.

*F9^f\ gar h uli, a voung tree.

c
7q -J
Nominal Suffixes.

bowl.
«*3*t kathuli, a small wooden

«Z^t khatuli, a small bamboo litter.

small pillow (ih^T gen*, a large pillow).

iJ#t ye r«If, a
^fe»i?, a small srfft 5#* or fruit-stone.
43^t
Wlj^&flfcrf, a stammerer ; W^t MO, a pitiful, stammering

woman.
Occasionally the * u is strengthened to
And many others.

*t o (cf. W eZa above), as in f*WTWT tffcola, a young mango.

characteristic
69. Cognate to the * Suffixes are those whose

letter is ^ r oi K r.
*

i- as pleonastic as the long

The suffix **r fa (fem. *?t fl)

form in W -*, which every noun can take.

In the feminine
Perhaps in the

it gives a
masculine it adds a shade of contempt.
not so common in Maithih in
diminutive meaning. This suffix is

fern. *TT T* being more

)
usual. An example is
the west, «Tr °rfl .

Slfl khopW a ^t W*jW*Tl «

feminine
^Wjhop'ra or ;

So, from «^r •*«,

a large vessel,
%«t U%tt a small hut.
*•*< **>!* or STO M»»,
we have «**£* «***, a milk-pail ;

piece.
a piece ; **#* ^Jfe«>^ or **n M**", a small
as in ***
The^suffix is sometimes strengthened to *f*T*,

bhagSru, a runaway, fugitive.

The connected TO f*. (fem. ^ -H ) is used with similar mean-

more often met with in Maithili. Examples are Wt

ing. and is

cakki or W> «*"* a mill-stone;

**TT ««*»«*, -ft-n, as above.

«****«* a bnndle ;
*«*

Mfifrf, a small grain-mallet:

Parallel to the suffix *1«r oZo,

we have ««.€* a,,-* in h^
prickly-heat, from *r« gham, heat.
gharaaun, small heat-spots,

« and r-snffixes preceded

70. There is another pair of /- <:

letter «l S.—Some of the examples are merely deformed

the
 .

40 Maithili Grammar. [§ 71.

tateamas like f<tfTTTT^l kir*pal, Sanskrit 3PTl«r: krpnluh. But others

are tadbhavas. The termination is ^1*3 nZ (fem. ^if% flZ'") or

^TT or (fem. s&ifV 5r*). Strong forms are ^r^r aid (fem. ^T^t

"£») or witi ora (fem. ^iTt or?). This has several derivations,
according to the particular words with which it is used. 1
In put-
ting them here together, no attempt is made to consider deriva-

tion. All words formed with these suffixes are of a very similar

nature, and for practical purposes they can all be considered at

the same time. The ^T /-suffix is the less common of the pair.

We have ^ff"^r*r darhiyrll, bearded, from ^rg*t darhi. a beard.

With the T r-suffix we have ^f ifr dudhrir'1 or ^NiTt dudharl (femi-

nine), milch (of a cow) ; fumx piynr (fem. fq*T7fr piydr'). a beloved

one, as against the Hindi diTr pyara (fem. -rt-ri ). ^TTT petard, a

hasket-box, fem. ^erf^ petari, used in a diminutive sense : JmTT

gamar, rustic ;
%mT dullSr, a darling ( Skr. 5^T*i: durlabhah). The
last two words often take an additional final u-suffix. Thus jtwt**

qamGrft. ^«ti^ duldru (or long form employed affectionately.

^T«H«rr dularud), without change of meaning. So also the Sans-

krit-Prakrit JTP<^r mahila becomes fl^TF*^ meh a rfiru, a woman.

71. The suffix mi pan tq»t ppan. ^tqif opan, is as common in

Maithili as in other Indo- Aryan vernaculars. It forms abstract
nouns from adjectives or substantives. Thus : —
^i<sm»j cuqal apan. backbiting.

*>VTT^r chudharapan, meanness (f>)T chudhar=:!£Z sudra).

Wt^if rknt apan. smallness.

3"Jiq5f thag a pan. cheating-.

Tf ^ drrh a pan. firmness.

VrHjsr dhurt.opan, knavery.

1 Cf. Dr. Hoernle'8 Gandian Grammar, pp. 118, 129. 135. 150.
 —

§ 72.] Nominal Suffixes. 41

^•f^iT nenapan, childhood.

^$m»T balei a pan, foolishness.

^5^<T«T bahefpan. ne'erdoweelness.

^f^^T buripan, foolishness (^f% buri. a fool).

3?TJ5t burh"pan or 3^th«1 burhappan, old age.

V)^nv«T bhatrpan or *iwTq«T bhal apan, honesty.

VT^T«T bhar apan or VT^UT bharappan, roguery.

r^q»T rai apan, widowhood (''fe' rar. a widow).

^jji£TT«T ldgat a pan or arjiar<?«r ndga( a pan, blackguardliness (^JJTC

langat. »ni^ nahgat or «?JI^T ndg a td. naked).

^TJItttst lagar apan, inquisitiveness (^JJITT lagar = Paul l

Pry ').

*T%^<T»T Jarik apaii, boyhood.

*j^r"15! sean apan, full-ageness (when a young lady has, as we

should say in England, 'her hair up,' she is ^wif*T sean*).

It will be observed that the suffix is added even to tatsama

words.

72. <n^ u-ah (fern, srrfr urfifc*). — This is the regular termina-
tion of nouns of agency and is the equivalent in meaning of the
Hindi J?iw wclla. Thus :

^•P»T^ a,i a ica~h. the man in charge of the other (y&i anya) or

spare pair of bullocks, when ploughing is going on.

*«T^ii? katar a icah, one who cuts sugarcane fur feeding a

sugarcane press.
*tT«T3l^ karin a icah, a man who works a *rW kann or nega-
tion lever.

^rr^frg'T^ kodariwah, a worker with a 3RT?[TfV kodar' or

mattock.
JlV^l^f gach a wnh, one who climbs trees (jitw gdch, a tree).

J15J3T^ gaj a ivah. one who uses a Jlfcr gaj, or fish trap.

Ji"f^l^ gariicah, a cart-driver.

Ji«rai^? gwi a icah. the man who tows a boat ( 3T^" gun, a rope).

6
 —

42 Maithili Grammar. [§ 73.

JlWl^f gaiwah, a tender of cows.

^t^I^ ghor a tvah, a groom.

^T^i^ car a wah, one who grazes cattle.

fffww? jhaliwah, a cymbal-player (nn^rt jhGli, cymbals ).

«Y*9T^ tok a wah, an asker (21* tok, ask).

^sw* pen*w&h, a cattle-driver (q«ir paz'wn, a cattle-whip ).

*f*sn^ badh a wa1,, a field watchman (wr* fcad/i, village lands).

fll^l^ iiior a tcah, one who drives cattle round and round in a

mill (jfft mQ r-i a turn ).

«*rfe^T^ lathiwah, a wielder of cudgels.

$»RI^ simawdh, one who hears complaints.

^f^i^ hathiwah. an elephant-keeper.

TT^r^ hara wah, a ploughman.

The suffix is optionally spelt and pronounced ^r^ bah, so that
we may have ^R«rr* an*bSh, ^fcTT^f^ katar«bah. and so on.
further, an abstract noun can be formed from these nouns of
agency by adding the fern, suffix ^
'"
Thus Jif^if? gariwah 1
,

the profession of a cart-driver. So from the ^/ ^\t car, graze

(active), we have ^TWi^ car a bah, a cattle-grazer, and thence
^^lf% cur'bah 1 cattle-grazing.
,

73. ^r* sar. — This is not a proper suffix, being simply a

derivative form of *n«T sdla, a house. In Maithili it is used as
a suffix, and not as a member of a compound word. The whole
compound is treated as if it were one word, with the usual shorten-
ing of the antepenultimate vowel. Thus, from
1\if\ Lathi, an elephant, we have Tfl1?!^ hathisar. an
t'lephant-stable.

Ul¥ ghor, a horse, we have ^TS^TT ghnr a sSr, a horse-stable.

*rf« chat?', a pupil (Skr. Wl^l chdtra), wfesiT tfiafisdr, a school.

Similarly, ^fsfiTT kani'sRi-, a furnace for parching grain, and

"ifsn^IT bavisar, a prison.
 43
§77.1 Gender, Number and Case.

CHAPTER II.

Gkndek, Numbkk and Case.

two Genders—Masculine and Feminine.

74. The noun lias

Words derived direct from the Sanskrit, which were originally

become masculine in Maithili.
neuter, generally
to this last rule are *ffll
The most important exceptions
milk; jfc dur\ dis-
UK, an eye; *f% daW or <^t dahi, curdled
feminine. ^ifJI Bg l ,
tance; and S^* sto*' a book; which are
P»
word, feminine
though derived from a masculine Sanskrit
is
fire,

in Maithili.

There are two numbers, the singular and plural.

75.
simply formed
The plural number of nouns in Maithili is
multitude. Those most
by the addition of a noun signifying
„„ mbah* meaning° all,' and
l '
zrs-fs
commonly used are SV sabh and W3V*
j
i 1,7 „„ri

used with animate

*fef«r lok-ni meaning people.' The last is only
used indifferently either
objects. <m sabh and **fv sabah* can be

before or after the qualified noun. Thus *«* **** * abhakW

^TT wfw vena sab'htk, W ^r* «» ***** ** *^* "^
forms of the
*S»afc and *n «t«ftr* »«* Zofc'm* are all possible

genitive plural of *n uena, a boy. ««fe W^,

be it observed,

In all circumstances,
can onlv be used after the qualified noun.
postposition deciding
whatever be the order of the words, the
the case comes last.
but, in ad-
76. The same rules partially apply to pronouns :

the word signifying plurality, many of

them have entire-
dition to
ly new bases for their plural forms.
shall generally
77. Throughout the following Paradigms. I

but it must
use only the word W« sabh to designate the plural ;

that, unless specially forbidden, iwf*

always" be understood
*abah l and *»"Y*fc hh'ni can also be used.

I The old Maithili poet Vidyipati

aom-time. has TO ***», inetead of

*mfX talah*. Compare song I. 6.

 —

44 MaitUli Grammar. [§ 78.

/8. Organic cases. — There was a case-termination f^ Iti or

H A? and another s hu or gf ^w in Apabhrariisa Magadhi Prakrit.

These have survived in Maithili in the forms f% h'\
fi h\ 35 h"
and gg h s which can be used for practically any oblique case. They
,

are not often heard nowadays, except in poetry and proverbial say-
ings, but they are common in these. They are also frequently met
in the old poetry of Vidyapati.

Examples of the use of

f^ h
l
and f| h? in the various cases
are as follows :

Accusative— ^yf? ^i*r satruh* an, he brings an enemy.

q ^ff- hit par^ruh* mar, beat the buffalo calves.

Instrumental— m$f% balah 1 by force, violently.

,

^N T *mfr *jfr f^fJst acarah* jhar' jhur* ditah",

1
I would
have swept it with my body-cloth.

Ablative— snrf? fam T?T«nf* «g^ T nUah} sikh carabah* aliir.

from boyhood cowherds learn cattle-tending.

Locative — *r?prr '^T?f ? ;

jamuna haradah*. in the Jamuna-
pool.

^K^iT^ fa^r $•« jt^t adakah* sindur met gel, in her aston-
ishment, the vermilion was rubbed off.

Jl^Tfr ^*lff Q^ri^T gad a rl khetah* sukhael, the unripe crop

has dried up in the fields.

The following- are examples of 53 hu and 55 hs :

—
Dative—^33; 5T?fTf^<T **r HK*fW sabah* jaihocit kail par a -
nSm, to all he made meet reverence.

Ablative — OtTt? otah*, from there.

r*w s?f% r?H3J v^ kick* nah* tatah? bhel, nothing came to
pass from there.

Genitive. — "*«*<^$s ^**T^ 3ft «i ak a rurahu calaek daul. an op-

portunity for the coming of Akrur.

Locative. — vw&m tjt« f*TS* pacharah" param m'pun, exceedingly

skilled in wrestling.
 —

§ 80.] Gender, Number and Case. +->

WW^ **« if^T WTlfa *TS kopah* kat u nah? bhakhath* kabah",

even at any time he speaketh not harshly in anger.

Most of the above examples come from poetry, in which a

final T *
or ^ u is fully pronounced, but I have Avritten them as if

they were prose, so as to illustrate the grammatical forms.

In modern prose Maithill the form f% h* is contracted to <r I

and is reserved for the termination of the Instrumental while

contracted to ^ and reserved for the termination of

f* h
{
is e, is

the Locative. Examples will be found below, in dealing with the

separate cases.

79. Inorganic cases. — In Maithill (except in the organic

Instrumental formed by adding ^ e, and the organic Locative

formed by adding ^ e) cases are formed by suffixing postpositions.

In Hindostam these postpositions are added directly to the noun
without any change of the latter. Thus, ^«r «FT ]>hal ko, of fruit,

snCt W\ nari ko, to the woman. Hut. when a tadbhava noun (which

is not a noun of relationship) ends in ^T o, that wa is changed to

* e before a postposition. Thus, from **if r ghora, a horse, we have

yhore ka, of a horse. In Maithili the position is almost

*\k *tfi

exactly reversed. Tadbhava nouns in ^r a are never changed,

while certain other nouns do change before postpositions. In other

words, the oblique form in Maithili is always the same as the

direct form except in the case of certain nouns in T '.^f r, 5T n, «r b,

}$ I and *: r. For instance sn^T ghora, a horse, has its genitive

sn^r %r ghora ker. not ^T% %* ghore ker.

80. The following are the rules for ascertaining the oblique

form in the singular of those nouns which take it :

i) All verbs form a feminine verbal noun by adding ^ * to the

I

root (see § 57). Thus %«a^ dekhab, to see; root ^3 dekh ;

verbal

noun ^f% dekh*, seeing, in the sense of '

the act of seeing.' All these

verbal nouns in r '

have an oblique form in TJ cu, as in %*3 3t
 — — —

46 Maithili Grammar. [§ 80.

dekhai k§, for seeing. The oblique form itself is often used as a,

dative of purpose, as in "*Tt+<:r t*5 i\^tf w^ ok a rfl

dekhai yel chalah*,
I had gone for seeing him, i.e., to see him. Other examples of the
use of this oblique form are :

^fl ^T^ (i.e., ^-f «*) 9f«f <5fp*TT Wt^l *Y«I *Y, km earai&
(i.e., carat + fc) Zei o& a ra char°lg rahait chi, I have let it

(a goat) loose for the sake of grazing (i.e., to graze).

^7H *3^T%H * -

^T*^ daural ?al a hes kg pak a rai, they ran to

catch Salhes.

^^fW ^T^T f^ calHih har a wa becai, she went to sell strings

of beads.

*H«Tr ^S"* tfi^T ^si* ap a na carhaik ghdri delak, he gave the

mare of his own riding (i.e., his own riding mare).

In the case of the roots % de, give, and * le, an »f m (or

sometimes ^ b) in inserted in the oblique form. Thus, %x dei. the

act of giving, oblique ^?T demai. Verbs whose roots end in ^ i insert

a a ^ b throughout. Thus ^/ fa pi, drink, verbal noun, fa-fa pib'.

oblique fa^ pibai. Examples of these forms are :

^*TTT v% ^^r^t %*i* ^jfw ham a ra ek bak a ri lemaik ach { , to me

of taking one she-goat there is (necessity), i.e., I must get
a she-goat.

In the following we have also the direct verbal noun vfr bhar' 1
.

the filling :

^Tl *?*T ^ fa*** Mfr m 5TITW ** neua sabh ke pibaik bhar 1

bhaijait chaik, there becomes the filling of the drinking for

the children, i.e., we get enough for the children's drinking.

Note that some people write and pronounce the final jy ai of

this oblique form as if it were %d. thus ^K^> carak, w^T bScd, etc.

This oblique form of verbal nouns is very frequently employed

in the construction of compound verbs, under the head of which
several more examples will be found.
 —— — —

Gender, Number and Case 47

§ .81.]

81. (it) There are two other verbal nouns ending in * b (§ 67)

and *r I (§ 68 ), which have the same meaning. Thus f m<t dekhab.

the act of seeing, to see; ^st*T dekha'., the act of seeing. The
former is commonly employed as an infinitive, hut both are true

nouns, and are thus declined :

Nominative Singular ^^m dekhab ^sT^T dekhal

Oblique Singular ^mm dekh a ba ^^*?r dekh a la

Organic Instrumental ^m^' dekh a be £»sl^i (lekh a I§

Singular.
Organic Locative Sin- ^m? dekh a be, some- 3T^% dekh a lS, some-
srular.
times written ^^ times written ^W^l

dekh a bai. dekh a lai.

In the second noun Hn is sometimes written for *r. We thus

have the compound $if sn^r lele jaeb or *T*r ^Tl^T len§ jaeb, to

go by means of taking, to take away.

Examples of the employment of these two verbal nouns are :

(a) 1. Direct forms

Sij^f <*T5i<* ^f-r hunak Jcanab sun1 , having heard his weeping.

WI^* *t T^Tt charab ki rahau, what letting go was there to

you, why did you let go ?

THRUST pach'taeb, the act of regretting. The oblique form

is ^e^f t pachHaiba, see below.

2. Oblique cases
a
3F**T «T*^T W ek ra mar a ba rag, in killing it.

direct verbal
*fr<*Tr f^m\ if in searching for it (V ?TlWf iafc,

noun ?n^ takab).

qw«^T^ pach a taibak, of regretting.

Tirp* =3^3 f^ if u^N*! raiufc cal°be din mi pakiical, bv

travelling by night, he arrived in the daytime.

 —
——

48 MaitluU Grammar. [§ 82.

(6) 1. Direct forms-

*ff qfi^ii <*T^if* o kahal hardtack*, he does speaking, i.e.,

he speaks frequently.

^SffTi^T^ pach a tnnf (obi. qwfft^T pachHaula), the act of re-

gretting.

^\^ hail or ^T^i karat, the act of doing.

2. Oblique cases
xuf«T ^ff^T^F f^«Tf poni baris a la bina, without water raining,
i.e., (owing to) the want of rain.

^^t «l"Nf M^m\ »J curl nah* bhet a la sd, from not getting
fodder.

Emwfr 3* **T ^ffW *jfV ghum a ld .<*a ki laibh uh l

, what profit is

there from wandering about.

WV \jq ^s«f if f<*W *ii% "i<T daur dhup kaila sd kicch u nah*

hait, nothing will result {lit. be) from running and fus-

sing.

qWrrfal *J >*t M *j*^fjF pachHaula sd ki bhai sakaiach*

what (good) can result from lamenting ?

^T3l«T lag a lt, on the attaching, i.e., immediately.

82. Besides the above, several other nouns (including ad-

jectives) ending in ^ ?•, ^ rh, ^ n, K r, <$ I, and occasionally other

letters also, have oblique forms in ^ff a. I have noted the follow-

ing as certain instances :

«f*T bar, great Oblique form ^^l barn.

*m\-% akhnrh, an arena .. W3i<?r akharha.

Uyan, a courtyard .. ^JTTl a<j a na.

«gffl*f

si«T nain, an eye ,, •T*»T naina.

<T^ dosur, second ,, <Cr«W dos a ra.

?TST tesar, third ,, fl^r tes a ra.

*rST pahar. a watch ,, ^"^"T pah*ra.

 — —

§ 83.] Gender, Number and Case. 49>

%l^r dear or ^I^T near. Oblique form ^N^T ac°r(7 or

a body cloth. ^^n ac a ra.

*||«^< anhar, blind „ *P%Ki anh 9 ra.

^•*3jT igur, red lead .,,

•
•CjTT tgura.

*fr<; kor. a lap ,-

f*[WIT dibar, a wall „ f<«<J dib a ra.

^TIT duar, a doorway „ 5^1TT duara.

mrr pallar. a plank „ IfTCT pal a ra.

W^ftT bahir, deaf „ flf^TT bahir a.

f%^K lilar, the forehead „

*rf%ff pahil, first ,, ^f^Tf pahila.

^^f badal, exchange ,, W^W bad a la.

To these may be added :

*|?i ow/fl or ^m fiyft, front „ ^Jlf aya, 5f[J]f a#3.

*TW pacha or M'T^'^flc'/iu. rear „ ^rwf pacha, m^f pacha.

afi"° ?/iaf, place H'SJT thaiya.

^T 'Jih. a village-site „

f^q d«s, a direction

V»T^ dhanukh, a bow ,. ^•T^I dhanukha.

It is necessary to remark that these oblique forms are not in-

variably employed. We often find the direct form employed

instead of the oblique one.

83. Examples are :

(1) Direct forms —

W^ WnjV ^I ^*T TT1 "ar (direct) anurodh bara (oblique)
pay rdkh. lay (the burden of) a great favour upon the
great.

*if JT«T QT ^"f^f ayan sun dekh x seeing the courtyard empty.
,

•TTJT {i.e., "Tit) •Ti^l^^I naen (i.e. narn) norael. (her) eye
filled with tears.
7
 —

50 Maithili Grammar. [§ 83.

^*TT ^f% ^3JT dosar roye canna, the second one who weeps
is Canna.
?Hfa« ^WT tinik tesar, the third after three.

sfr Tfr: T^T ^fff J\iQJe par 1 pahar siit 1 gel, how the watch
went to sleep.

^TS *Hr^T *ffT *lfaTC char* kanhaia mor (tear, let go, O
Kr?Qa, my body-cloth.

^TW* WW* TOll 'J.'s' Bnhar kukur basatg bhukhe, a blind dog
barks at the wind.
TTfT«?r *§T %H W1 pahil khand ham leb, I shall take the first

portion.

^[Ji *j^r*TO (iyU thalHhal, a pendulous front.

*TTW WTT^ pachu bharl, a heavy behind.

<{2) Oblique forms

TF* ^ TF^W V5 ^^TT»T ^JW ^n^T TT ek sai ekais Hand khe-

lait ach* akharhd par, he performs one hundred and twenty-

one exercises upon the arena.
^37 *T? TT^ bara pay rakh, as above.

m^HK ?f*J ^JHI *Vt *T*i kat a gar taru ag a nd keo rakh, does
anyone keep a thorn-tree in his courtyard ?

1TI ^flSTC $f"f ^f% (for 5T^rff lelanh 1 ) naina kajar penh*
lel {
, on her eyes she applied collyrium.
a
^^TT^f *i«T tes rnk ant, the end of the third.

*J^J%W^» V^SKl *J sal a hesak pah a ra .<t(f, from Salhes's watch.

*ifax\ 5"JlTT^r ^TfrflSS dc a rd dagariya baharitah z , I would

have swept the road with my body-cloth.

*f%n* Q<T*rfir ^t s^TT* «fJT^J"f? <*T bahirak sut a lahx

kl, anh a rak jagalah* ki, what of a deaf man by sleeping,
what of a blind man by waking (i.e., what do they re-
spectively lose by sleeping or waking ?).

f^rrr ^Tw^fa t^Ti^r rrfr«fr lil a rn sobhaiach* igurak roriya,

on the forehead the fragments of red lead are beautiful.
 Gender, Number and Case. 51
§ 8-4.]

«?rw TOT* *TTT ham sutab toh a ra

T«* ^/TW wtx*r *TTT OT
kora, dada sutab babak horS, I will sleep in your bosom,
(my) brother will sleep in (my) fathers bosom.

*t~5* ^s^t-*S5rt f^TOr <if« JT^r bhadrih ehum-hehuni dib*-

rS sap gel, Bhadri's elbow, etc., {i.e., elbows and knees)

stuck against the wall.

^r^Tf « (h<ara me, in the doorway.

a
mnt fv^r g<Tr TO4^r TO*l bay a ha dhiya pitta pal ra baithal,

the girls and boys of Bag a ha were seated on a plank.

*lf^n irrfsT wfK vm *f^ pahila pani bhar 1

gel tar, the tank

is tilled by the first (fall of) rain.

^tjKT ^^W tf ok a ra bad a la me, in exchange for that.

-Wit TOT TTOl «*T aga pacht bida bhel, they departed
one

behind the other.

f>^ 1 3? TOTt ftsfftpn bid thaTyS, bar a ho biyog a wa, in the

middle place (write) the separation of the twelve

( months ).
JttTSTr *Tt *^ r 3 irT Vf^TO *fw phofra bam dilia rag

a ach\ Phot a ra is scaring the cattle in Bara

? a* bhar kabait
village (or Bara Dih).

<tfir f^ST % ^TO ^iJF *^S ^f^ ^w ^ iS " ^ g "bait hoai

hahah* bujhay. tell clearly towards what direction he is

coming.

H\rm yij-qrr %1 *t«3T?T marab dhauukha dSb khasny, I will

strike him with my bow (i.e.. with an arrow from my

bow and) fell him.

It will lie seen subsequently that these oblique forms in a

rare much more frequently employed in the case of pronouns than

in the case of nouns substantive.

84 As there is no organic plural in Maithili. the question of

a plural oblique form does not arise. The nouns of multitude, ^r*?

sabh, H*f% sabaJtKa.n&^teifst lok a ni, are treated exactly like singular
 — —

52 Maithili Grammar. [§ 85.

nouns. Thus, the organic instrumental plural of #«rr nena, a boy.

may (amongst other forms) be #»tt W*l nena sabliE or ^w ^«f mbh
nSnS.

85. There are (counting the vocative) eight cases, viz.,.

Nominative. Accusative, Instrumental. Dative, Ablative. Genitive,

Locative and Vocative.

86. The Nominative is used before all kinds and before al

tenses of verbs. There is no case of the Agent as in Hindostanl.

87. The Accusative is the same in form as the nominative.

When a noun has an oblique form this is sometimes employed in-

stead of the accusative by the vulgar. Thus, in the Song of Sal a hes,
Malin says ^l^TT^T ^^TT ^T»sf% bal apan ac*ra (not %l^T dear)

b&nluil 1
,
(from my) girlhood I have kept my body-cloth tied (over
my body), i.e., have kept my bosom covered.

In cases in which Hind5stani would employ the postposition

^fr ko. Maithili employs the dative postposition % ke, ^r kg, ^f

kat, or ^>f ArS. as in *i?Y5w ^?^T *T^!%^ ^f VH^ banaudhia

daural Sal a hes ke pak a rai. the Banaudhias ran to seize Sal a hes.

Note that in old Maithili, the nominative and accusative often

ends in v e, which is also an old Magadhi Prakrit termination
of the nominative case. Thus, Vidyapati ( i, 1) says, ^ifflfsr SiTTF

fa«n^ kanun karae sinanS, the fair one does bathing.

1

88. The Instrumental denotes the instrument, means, cause,

or agent, by which a thing is done. It in no way corresponds to
the '
agent case ' of Hindostani of which the suffix is ^ ne. It is

usually formed by the suffix ^ so or H sat of which *Hr sau and

^f so are occasional varieties, which are more common in the older

language.
The Organic Instrumental referred to above is formed by add-
ing Tl, which is sometimes (especially in old poetry) written ^«f
at. It is added as follows :

( a ) When the noun ends in ^r a, the T I is substituted for

the final vowel. If the noun has an oblique form ending in WT a,

t is added to the oblique form in the same way. Thus ^?«ir katha
 Number and Case. &3
§ 91.] Gender,

a story, instrumental <ro hathe, by a story ;

%TT nBnS, a boy, 35
«en|, by a boy *f*T ;
Zear, a body-cloth, oblique form ^TT dc*ra,

instrumental *!N< dc a re-

nouns, the * I is added without
(b) In the case of all other
the latter is long, it is shortened,
elision of the final vowel, but if

and if it is one of the imperfect vowels T and «

* •. it is My pro-
nounced. Thus S* phal. a fruit, <fi phaW, by a fruif; vf* f**
daughter, instru-
water, instrumental *Kw« pMf; tft Mf, a

mental if** beta (notiftfoefiS); **f* «*«* ^ instrumental

v\wtbhalu'e. The
«*ftt «*•**; «T* WW,
a bear, instrumental
organic instrumental
:-
following are examples of the use of this

*** fcamar bUh* ckuril Mtarl he binds

**T ift vft*
his waist with knife and dagger.

iftfr *m jfln wT^fr gor* ™F *W* " nharK a fair

woman is blinded by pride.

Md, owing to this, it happenedby

* «* f ww I brf*« I

conversation (i.e.. owing to the conversation), * W* e

conversation, which would be

katVe is not 'by this

Tj-f^j %$ eh* kathi.

I cannot hear
madbhagavat sunal horan nah> sun* sakaicht,
the Qur'an by the ear
with which I have heard the

S'rimad Bhagavata.
formed by suffixing the postposition *
**,
89. The Dative is

^ Ice. IT hat, or ^r fco.

formed by suffixing the postposition

«
90. The Ablative is

(more common in the older

scTor ? sat, of which *F§ sau and <ff *§

Verbs of speaking and asking govern the

language) are varieties.
in Hindostani.
ablative of the person addressed as
* which, at the present day,
sign of the Genitive is
k.
91 The
a suffix attached to. and forming
is no longer a postposition, but is
 ;

°* Maithili Grammar. [§ 92.

one word with the base. Th us **m nenak, of a boy ; T^rfa* panik, of
water; ^rr <sffaff%<* nena lok"nik of boys. When the base ends in an
imperfect T i
or vowel
^ «. this is pronounced fully in the genitive.
Thus ^f%<* sab*hik, of all ww^
; bhSluk, of a bear. When the
base ends in a consonant, the vowel ^ a is inserted before the * k.
Thus, qr^i phalak, of a fruit. When a noun has a separate oblique-

form, the « k is added to this. Thus if bar. great, oblique form

W^r barS, genitive *?[« baroTc, of a great man; ^q«rr ^* ^fT
ap a wa carhaik ghorrl. the horse of his own riding, his own riding
horse.

In Southern Maithili. a long vowel is shortened before this

If k. Thus #irif nSnak, not'^rrer nSnak. of a boy.
The postposition %r ker is also employed to form the genitive.
This is more common in poetry and in the older language. Ex-
amples are ^ri %* nena ker. of a boy ; ^ %t phal kSr, of fruit. In
the case of personal pronouns, the % ke of %T ker is dropped, and
the remaining T r becomes a suffix, as in ^?* hamar, my.
The suffixes «* k and %T ker of the genitive are by origin ad-
jectival, like the Hindostani *r kri, % kS, ^ fct, but when added to
nouns substantives they are in modern Maithill immutable, just as
in the case of Bengali. They do not change either for gender or
for case. Thus we have ^T* «rr* nenak bap, the boy's father
^TT^f ww %T nenak bap ker. of the boy's father ; ^stto mi venak
mat, the boy's mother ;
iNur m\ m* nenak bhai sabh, the boy's
brothers. This ride does not hold good in the case
of pronouns, the
genitives of which have an oblique form.

92. The Locative indicates the place in, or the time at,
which a thing is done. It is usually formed by the postposition «
ni§, of which « ma and wf mo are optional forms. Of these three
*ff md is the oldest, and is generally found in poetry. The organic
form of the Locative ends in ^ e, as explained above. It is not
much used in modern prose Maithili. though it is frequent in
 5t>
c
93.] Gender, A umber and'Case.

sometimes written ^or *T at. In the modern

poetry, where it is

however, often heard in phrases

such as *t
colloquial dialect it is,

*T« «T« 9™* <J™ui, in every vil-

*t glare yharB, in every house ;

classical poetry w. may

lage, and so on. As an example from
ouote Vidyapati ( v. 3 ) *W ^?N» ™ jael anyhat yhate, I shall go-

on the rugged river bank.

all taken from one folk-song
—
The following examples are
that of Blna Bhadri.
cal'bepahar bit* gSl, in
*ff ?* TOt V** M* *^ 1
9 ha r' eh
two ) half-hours, a watch of the day
{I.e., after) going for one (or
passed.
1 having joined in company
<*4% *ft* faf* caWijaure mil ,

(with us), come along.

^fc *\* eW thnme, in this place.

barn dike rahath* aner, Bena
3*1 *r T ft'% T^fl *«K bSnfi

is wandering loose in Bara Dih.

VmWK <T*tf *WI <* « mtutPhuk dokaue mana par* gel,

they were stopped) at the shop

o
there was a prohibition {i.e.,

Musahu.
to»^™^«
.

^ sra H«1f «TTT TO *f* W* efc >'»

chew of tobacco in my
MM carhabai, they do not offer a
single

name.
«W fft *fif9 *^*%*T t« i*» «*# chalaik phekuni.

was sound asleep).

Phekuni was sleeping in seven sleeps
{i.e.,

^ *7*R *TT *tt Wm nmf

after bundle
ifti

and sack
&^« 60*8 &5r5 bore

after sack
no«
{lit. in
tomSfeS fort* bundle
does he weigh salt and tobacco.
bundle in bundle, in sack in sack)

^ «K ?** 3W bar blare chikal duar, it, the early

morning you have obstructed my door.

same form as the nomi-

93. The Vocative usually takes the
lower rank or age, the long
native. In speaking to a person of
Thus, nena, a boy, becomes <T ta
form of the noun is preferred.
 56 Maithili Grammar. [§ 94.

«IT3T rau nen a wa. #^t ?ienl, a girl, becomes ^ isrfiT^n gai neniya.

X^Baghu, a proper name, becomes sft TB^r /-a?e Baghua.

The following interjections are used with the vocative: —

(a) With masculine inferiors, —or familiarly, ^ rau, X rS.

(b) With masculine ecpaals or superiors, ^ am. ^ hau, % he.

(c) With feminine inferiors. —or familiarly, tf gai.

(d) With feminine equals or superiors. ^ hai.

CHAPTER III.

Declension of Nouns.

94. There is in Maithili really only one declension, but as the

forms of some classes of nouns vary slightly from' each other before
some of the postpositions, it will be convenient to consider nouns in
three classes.

95. I. The first class will consist of all nouns ending in ^T ft

or *)f a.

II. The second class will consist of all nouns ending in a con-
sonant.

III. The third class will consist of all other nouns.

The difference between these three classes will be noticed on

comparison of the Instrumental and Vocative singular.

96. It will be remembered that every noun has three forms, a

short, a long, and a redundant (see §§ 41 ft). In the following
pages I shall only deal with the short form. As every long and
redundant form ends in ^t a or *j? a, they all belong to the first

class. Thus, ty^r phal. a fruit, belongs to the second class. Its long
form is ^T^T^T phal a ica, which belongs to the first class, its instru-

mental singular being ^^ra phal a wS.

§ 97.1 Declension of Nouns. 57

CLASS I.

All nouns ending in ^r a or «f 5.

97. (1) Example of a Masculine noun ending in ^T a,

##TT nSna, a boy.

Singular.

Nom. ^«n nena, a boy.

( ^«TT nena, )
Ace. < ^ [a boy.
(_ ^Ti ^f nena hi, )

Inst.
( ^ nene,
{
S by a boy.
] ^ fc
(. T'TT W «e«^ so, J

Dat. ^rr ^i neuri fcf, to a boy.

AbL #5T[ ^ «e/i5 s<f, from a boy.

( ^Tr^ nenak, (
Gen. < > of a boy.
( ^TT %* «ena fcer, )

Loc. sr«n T neua mi, in a boy.

Voc. -

in ?t»rt rati nen a wa, O boy, {or respectfully) *$t ^TT an

nena.
58 Maithili Grammar. [§ 97,.

Plural.

Nom. ^srr WH 1 «e»a sabh, boys.

C #«TT ^f 1 nena sabh, ")

Ace. -
^bovs.
( ^5TT *w *r nSna sabh ke, )

lnst
( ^srr W S
nena sabhM, ")

by boys.
* ')

(_
^
TTr W^ s„
nena sabh stf,
f
)

Dat. %^r ^V *4 nena sabh be, to boys.

Abl. 3-^t Wq nena sabh sa, from boys.

6
_ ( ^Ntt *W* newa sabhak, *)

Gen -
, ofbovs.
C T5TT 9M *T nena sabh ker, )

Loc. 3"*r W «r «e?ia sa M m§, in boys.

TT \
^T 1*RT ^V raw nen a wa sabh *)

'
i ^* Oboys.

l Other forms are W $*J sabh nena, ifrn

*wff nena sabah*, *wff
^«TT sa6a/i* nena and ^5T[ *faffir nena
lok*ni.

8 Other forma nre t*r *J*f? * nena sabah* leg, and *5fT ^faffa *
nena lok*ni ke.

8 Other forms are W **f%T nena sab'hiS, 3*1 *Rf* * nena sabafc'

sd, ^5Tr W^ffiR mj Zofca»i£ and ^Tr ^ffaffcr ^ fiena Zo*<»m sd.

Other forms are ^TT

*
^f* $ n*»a sa&aft* kg and ^iTT gt^fil **
nena lok*ni ke.

6 Other forms are ^ifl W^f* 9 nena. sabah* sd and #3TT ^farfsT 4"
Tiena lok*ni sd.

• Other forms are ^5IT ^f%* 7i(«wa aaba/n'Jt, ^»n gMffMi nena
lok*nik.

1 Other forms "are ^«TT «en« sabah* me and ^ifl

^^f% *f ^ffatfsT *f
nena lok*ni me.

Other forms are Tt 5*V

8
^f% rati nena sabah*, 1f\ #ifl Sjffrfffir

au nena lokom.
s 98 1
Declension of Nouns.

feminine noun, ending in *r S.

98. (2) Example of a

WH\ hatha, a story.

Singtdar.

Xom. W fcai7tfl, a story.

( q?*lT hatha.
a story.
Aeo.
\ qm\ afr hatha he.

ww
^M hatlie, \
>
, „
bv a
,„„,.
storj .

Inst. -\
$. , ( •

^jfJT ^ fca£/ir» sa. J

Dat. **IT i fca^Wl hi, to a story.

Abl. ^*U If fca^fca s<f, from a story.

TO* fc-
cuthah. I
(ren. \

Loc. **ir *T* JfeoiWl ml, in a story.

story.
Voc. % ^TOr fee hatha.

Plural

** * a *'lfl safe ^' stories *

Norn. **it

Ace.
W
Inst. \
WW
WWW
^TOT

qftjy ^V qf
~
* fcai^a safe A he,

sabhi.'
fcaifen Sa0fte

A;a^7ia safe/i sd.

[by stories.

Dat. *TOT ** i" hatha sabh he, to stories.

Abl. WW W 9 fca*^ sabh sd, from stories.

TO W* hatha sabhak, ^.^
Gen. j of
WW W %T fcaf/uT sabh her. )

Loc. *UT WT fca/ ^ * aW '

"' f - in stories -

Voc. % TO TO U kafU * ah1 '-

° storieSl
60 Maithill Grammar. [§ 99.

. CLASS II.

99. All nouns ending in a silent consonant.

qf^T phal, a fruit.

Singular.

Norn. qi^r phal. a fruit.

<S^ phal, I
Ace. {
I

> a fruit.
qf^T ^! phal ke. )

qf% phalB. ) , .

Inst. <, e f by a fruit.

qf^T *J phal sa. \

Dat. qf^T ^i phal ke, to a fruit.

Abl. qr^f W phal 5(f, from a fruit.

~)

(
qi^TO phalak.
Gen. > of a fruit.
(
qf^T ^ phal ker. )

Loc. qf^r ?T phal me, in a fruit.

Voc. % qr^T he phal, fruit.

Plural.

Norn. qr^f W ^AaZ sabh, fruit.

( q^T ^TW phal sabh.

Ace. j > fruit.

(,
qf^t ^IV H phal sabh ke.
( qf^T WW phal sabhe,
Inst. >-bv fruit.
>j
^
( qf^T WW *f jj7ioi sabh sa,

Dat. t^f^r ^W W phal sabh ke, to fruit.

Abl. 'qi^r WW W phal sabh so*, from fruit.

qf^T WWW phal sabhak.

Gen. < > of fruit.
qf^T W %T phal sabh ker.

Loc. qi^r ^vr *r ja/ioZ sa57i me, in fruit.

Voc. % Tff^r WV he phal sabh, fruit.

As an example of a noun with an oblique form, we may take

tt^T pahar, a watcb ;
Acr tt^T pahar or m<\ 3f pah'rS k§ ; Inst.
 .

61
Declension of Nouns.
§ 100.]

and so on. The plural is VTC

T*T pah'ri or TTU * pah'ra «f,

** pahar sabh, etc.. like ^<? *JW phal sabh.

CLASS III

consonant
All nouns not ending in *I a or in a
100 (1) Example of a
masculine noun, ending in T t.

TTlfsT pani. water.

Singular.

Nom. TTfsT pani. water.

TnfiT pani.
water.
Ace.
Tfifsf *F pani ke.

TT^f*!^ panil.
Inst, by water.
^Tf«T ^ pani sa,

Dat. llfa" 35" pani ke. to water.

Abl. infa ^ pani sa. from water.

iljfsra panik.
Gen. of [water.
Trf*T %T pani kei

Loc. mfl ^ pani ml, in water.]

Voc. % Trf*T he pani. O water.

Plural.

Xoni. TjrfsT jjw pi/?/ sa&», waters.

waters.
Ace.
(_ ^lf% ^V if ^<5/h' sabh ke.

Inst.
{ ^Tlfsr W poni sabhs.
by waters
( Tjrf*T ^« 9 pant so6« ^a.

Dat. qifsr WV 9R pff'»» saM fcl, to waters,

Abl. qif* »JW ^ pani sabh sa. from waters.

( tuf*r ^rw^> jpfljw sabhak,

of waters.
Gen.
( TTrftr *w %x pani sabh Jeer,

Loc. qtfsi 9W *T pani -<abh ml, in waters

Voc. % ^Tf»T *?w ftfi pm^' ga&A, O waters.

 62 MaithUl Grammar. [§ 101.

101. (2) Example of a feminine noun ending in 1, i.

'fan iieal, a girl.

Singular.

Xom. %^ neni. a girl.

~)
^<?t neni.
Ace. {
^ a girl.
J
sf^T WT neni ke, )

iffsT^ nenig.
j
Inst. < r } by a girl.
•i»n 1 «ent sa, ;

Dat. ^t 3T neni ke, to a girl.

AbL ^iffr 9 neni scf, from a girl.

!^fa» nenik, \

, of a girl,
^ft %T ne»i kSr. 1

Loc. ^«n ^ neni m§, in a girl.

Voc. ?r Sff^T gra^ neniya, girl.

PZuraZ.

Xom. ^^t ^M n8»i sa&A. girls.

^H newt sa6/i. ) .
,
girls,
i^^t
^^t ^H W neni sabh k§. )

i^-sft
^W neni sabhi, }

i. r
by girls.

Dat. H^t W ^r »e»t sabh ke. to girls.

Abl. ^ift W *j neni safefc sa. from girls.

I ^^- ijw^f /ie«z sabhak. I

Gen. j > of girls.

I sNft WW %T «e>a .so 67* fce/\ )

Loc. ^rft ^*t fl- «e«£ sa&A rng, in girls.

Voc. Jr wf«T*n W« gai neniya sabh. O girls.

 Adjectives and Gender generally. 63
•

§ 105.]

102. (3 ) Example of a masculine proper noun ending « u.

^a* Raghu, a proper noun.

Kom. ^ Raghu, Raghu.

Ace. ^"5 ^r Raghu Ice, Raghu.

f *^£ Raqhue, ) „
Inst. -{ ." DJ Raghu.
fc
I K'S ^ Raghu s&, )

Dat. T^ 3r Raghu ke, to Raghu.

.Abl. T^ 1 Raghu sa, from Raghu.

Gen. T9^» Raghuk. of Raghu.

Loc. ^ *i Raghu i, in Raghu.

-Voc. TT TS^T ra^t Raghua, O Raghu, (or respectfully) $t *\

hau Raghu.

103. As an example of a verbal noun in T *, with an oblique

form in Tjr ai, we may take ^ff car/**, mounting ;

ace. ^fs carh* or

^- 3f earhai kg ; Instr. ^f W earhai (^f$ carhaig is

so, not used) ;

.and so on. Instead of ^f earhai, we may have ^ ca?-A<i

throughout.
o

CHAPTER IV.

Adjectives and Gender generally.

104. As the rules for the formation of the feminine of adjec-

tives are the same as those for the formation of the feminine of
substantives, it will be convenient to treat the whole subject of

gender at the present opportunity.

105. Adjectives are liable to change for gender. That is to

say, when agreeing with a feminine noun they are put in the femi-

nine. Thus, the word ifW* aisan means '

such," and its feminine is

gyfa atsan*. The word w^z jhapat. a pounce, is feminine, and

* Usnally spelt thus in Maithili.

 —

64 Maithili Grammar, [§ 106.

hence we [have in the story of Sal a hes the phrase TF^"fl WTC *nr
aisan* jhapaf marai, (the parrot) makes such a pounce (that — ).

I have said that adjectives are liable to change for gender, but in
practice the change very rarely takes place. In ordinary conver-
sation the masculine gender is quite commonly used instead of the
feminine, and, indeed, except to pandits grammatical gender is

almost unknown ;
that is to say, adjectives only become feminine
when applied to female living creatures. The following rules as to
gender apply to substantives, as well as adjectives.

106. It is a well-known fact that in Hind6sta.nl the adjec-

tives which are tadbhavas, and which end in ^T o are in reality the

only ones in that language which are affected by gender. Tatsama

adjectives imported direct from the Sanskrit, and forming their
feminines after the model of that language, do not form part of the
living spoken stock of the Hindi dialect, but belong rather to the
dead language of the books. The same is only partly true in
Maithili. In this language we find not only tadbhava but even
some tatsama adjectives forming feminines distinctly the property
of thelanguage in which they have been adopted.

107. Rule I. — The first rule to be observed is that in

Maithili, tadbhava words ending in a consonant form their feminine

in short T '•

Examples :

Masculine. Feminine.

jfK gor, fair tflfT gor\

1
«TC bar, great 'if* baf .

iftwc budhiyar, wise wfaTTf* budhiyar*.

liWI^ adh a lah, bad ^fWrfs adh^lah 1 .

JRTTT gamar, rustic *l«nfr gam&r*.

i~S terh, crooked zfs terh 1 .

108. Rule II. — The second rule is peculiar to Maithili, and is

as follows : Many Tatsama words ending in a consonant form their

feminines in X. ' ; and that, whether in Sanskrit these ivords form their
feminines in long ^ i or not.
 — — —

Adjectives and Gender generally. 65

j> 110.]

Examples :
—
Masculine. Feminine.

Sanskrit, ^*^t sundari.

!
Maithili, ^fn sundari.

WJT dfctmir ( S. WJ dhusara or wft aTwsan.

dusty ' M. ^f* dhusarK

^IFERIT atyantd.
IS.
M. ^JTOfcT atyant 1 .

The following may here be noted as irregular :

Masculine. Feminine.

i« subodhd.
(S. fpfrer
OTTN subodh, wise -s

qtfq subudhK

109. Rule III.— Tadbhava words ending in ^T a, /orm ^ezr

feminines in \ I.

Examples :

Masculine. Feminine.

&\ beta, a son t^t &«?», a daughter.

^3TT «e«a, a boy ^t «enf, a girL

110. Rule IV.—Long forms of nouns substantive and re-

dundant forms of adjectives in W °wd form their feminines in

^T iyd or wr ia. Redundant forms of nouns substantive in Wfar

auwa or ^NfT aua, form their feminines in \*m iyHoa, WT taw*,

or t^TT iica. Thus :

Masculine. Feminine.

^rr ghor a iva, a horse *Tfipn ^tony* or *tf?*T srftof-tt,

a mare.
"^
l^gftWT chot«kiya or chotakiyd,
•Cl*<»^ T chot kawa or
a
in
|»
small or
_
^^f^^x chot*kia or cAo.ta-
chotak a wd :

J H<$.
 —— —

66 Maithili Grammar. [§ 111.

Masculine. Feminine.

^TNfT ghoraud or ) ^tf^Rr ghoriy a iva, ^tf%^^T ghori-

> a horse
WlrY^T ghorauwd ) awa or ^t^t^T ghoriwd.
It is necessary to give further examples, as the subject has
been already discussed in §§ 41 ff.

111. Rule V. Tadbhava tvords signifying colour form their

feminines as follows :

Masculine. Feminine.

<§VIT ujar
j

^WTt uj a ri.
or ^5!TT uj a ra > white
or ^snc^t ujar^Tcl.
or ^«H«*I ujara ka J
^frft kari

or ^ff^fl karia black flsfi^t karikkl.

or wftisr karikka

^K\ pira
or tn^H; plar |- yellow fWT^h" piar a ki.
or fl^iT^T piar a kcL J
^sf<^IT hariar
> green ^ffr^fT^t hariar a ki.
or xfic^I^^rr hariar a ka

^rr^r lal
a
red ^fWll\ lal ki.
or ^ra»T lal a ka

Exception. — jfnc gdr fair, which makes aftf^ gov 1 , or aftfrsjT

goriya. It will be
observed that, in the feminine, all these adjec-
tives prefer the long form.

Note also that •ffa nil, dark blue, which also occurs in Sans-
krit and which in that language forms its feminine iftwi nila, or
5pti|?t ntit, in Maithili adopts sft^t nili as its feminine form.

112. Rule VI. — The following classes of Tatsama words form

their feminines generally as in Sanskrit :

(a) Verbal adjectives in ?; i, and ^ i, corresponding to Sans-

krit adjectives in ^sj in, nominative, f L
 — —

§ 113.] Adjectives and Gender generally. 67

Examples :

Masculine Feminine in Maithili.

Sanskrit m^\ mani fTf'T'ft mSnini

> proud
Maithili ^rf^T mani or wfsrfsT maniri.

S. «H^t bhavi WTfa^t bhavini

? future
M. WT^t bhavi or HTfafsT bhavin 1 .

S. ^TTt harl ^rtT'ft harini

seizin gr
M. ^r^t hari or ^Tfrfsr harin 1 .

S. VIT^ dhari \
^ift^ dharini.
bearing
M. VF^t dhari 0T tnft^T dMrin*.
l

S. 3H^t kari ^nf^t karini

doinsr
M. ^nft kari

S. favsh^t chiranjivi I f^<«?ir«<^ chiranjibini

M. f^i«Tjwt chiranjibi \- •• "a "j or fa^HVfa chiranjibin*

or fexfori chiranjib I
or fa^ahpf ckiranjfb*
J

As an irregular under this head falls

Masculine. Feminine in Maithili.

S. ^q*?T sudharma
virtuous ^jqf*T>ft sudharmini.
M. S^*rf sudharma

113. (fe) Participles of the reduplicated perfect in 9^ vas r

and comparatives in f «w tyas.

Examples :
—
 — —

68 Maithili Grammar. [§ 114.

114. (c) Nomina agentis terminating in *qn ak.

Examples :

Masculine. Feminine.

^rTT^ kdrak a doer ^iTfwr kdrikd.

tTT^T* palak a protector TUf^WT palika.

T^f rafcsak a guardian Tfa^T raksikd.

TH^* pdcak a cook m(M*l pdcikd.

^^riV sahdyak a helper *J^IT*T sahay a kd.

115. (i) Gerundials and past participles passive.

Examples :

JlfascuZine. Feminine.

ihpq mantaby* to be remarked *T?niK mantabya.

^^iffa bandaniy* praiseworthy ^•itvr bandaniyd

WW jogy a worthy wifiqt jdgyd.

HVZJ mdny a reverend IT^FT manya.

*?IVJ sadhy* easy HfWT sadhya.

vTTfjukt joined mwy«iia.
^ suddh pure ^j^t suddhd.

^T*r 5r£ pained ^r?T? arfa.

f%?f khinn broken fW9J khinna.

116. (e) Other nouns and adjectives as:

Masculine. Feminine.

WT dhurt a knave m\\ dhurtd.

WT*i sydm dark ^WT sydmd.

Jlft* garisth heaviest (venerable) JfiT€T garisfhd.

^f% s'resth excellent ^flsr sresthd.

fij^ brind numerous fii^T brindd.

*n*5* ar/y a respectable ^T**rf orjyd.

 — — — —

H9.] Adjectives and Gender generally. 69

§

117. Rule VII. —The following anomalous forms should be

noticed :

(a) TTWT raja, a king, makes Tr^t rani, a queen.

(6) Forms borrowed from Sanskrit nomina agentis in € tr t

have the following feminines :

Examples :

Masculine. Feminine.

C ijT#t dhatri.
S. VTWT dhata
creator
(•*»rf^ dhatr\
M. NHTT dhata

S. WTWT jnata f^rft jnatri.

knower
M. jut *rr gyata \jnnf* gyatr^.

S. VTcTT pata •Hft patri.

protector
M. "TTrTF pata, {: f* patr*.
118.Adjectives do not generally change for case. In other
words, like substantives, they do not usually possess oblique forms.

119. Certain adjectives ending in ^ r, T «> T r and ^ Z have,

employed when the

however, an oblique form in *T o, which is
oblique case. In
noun with which they are in agreement is in an
of substantives.
other words such adjectives follow the example
Examples of such adjectives are :

^ bar, great.

such and other P ronominal ad

'
5^T aisan or TF^T ehan > '

jectives ending in ^ n.

^[HK. dosar, second.

<|«i<. tesar, third.

W^tT bahir, deaf.

^ftrer pahil, first.

Examples of these oblique forms will be found in §§ 82

and ff. The oblique forms are not often employed attributively

except in the cases of ordinal numbers as in W^JTT

V^TT W tes*rH

adjectives. The
pah*rn mi, in the third watch, and of pronominal
latter will be discussed under the head of pronouns.
 —

70 Maiihili Grammar. [§ 120.

Comparison op Adjectives.

120. (a) Comparative. As in Hindostani, the comparative

is formed, not by any change in the adjective, but by putting the

word for the thing with which the comparison is made in the

ablative case. Example, X Tl^t ^Tf% JTF^" ^ $^f*. W^ i gachi oh*

gachi sd sundar* chaik, this grove is more beautiful than that.

121. (b) Superlative. This is formed either by prefixing

W q sabh sd, the ablative case of ^V sabh, all, or the adjective W5"

bar (which is liable to inflection according to gender) to the prin-

cipal adjective. Examples : T JTl^t W* ^ ^^fr W* * gachi sabh sd

sundar* chaik, this is the most beautiful grove ; or ?; J[\^\ 1VS

^^fT W3R i gachi bar* sundar* chaik, this grove is very beautiful.
Usually, in such sentences, gender is neglected when the adjective
is employed predicatively, so that we generally meet these
expressions in the following forms: X TTTt ^Tf% JTl^t ^ Q^T W*f

i gachi oh 1
gachi sd sundar chaik ; X. TT^t ^V ^T ^J*^T Wi i gachi

sabh sd sundar chaik; ^ IT^t ^TS" ^p^T W^f i gachi bar sundar chaik.

122. Certain comparatives and superlatives are also bor-

rowed direct from the Sanskrit, which need not be noted here.

Numerals.

Cardinals.

The following are the Cardinals up to 100.

123. It will be
observed that they differ from those in use in Hindi :

\ -pn ek. »= <*I3 oth.

^X dui. t «ff nau.

\

*\ #tfsT tin 1
. \ « ^ das'.

a 'mfr car*. \\ ip\\T^ egarah.

1 qfa pac. \^ mv% barah.

i VY chau. \ ^ ftT^ terah.

« ^IfT sat. \» ^T^ caudah.

 71
Numerals.
§ 1-23.]

1*5^8 pandrah. 8 8 ^Nn^TW eaualis.

I 4.

X i *ft^ solah or ^t^ orah. «^ Tffiiwfa pattalis.

l^ ^^ sat rah. 8<$ W^T^t^ chealis.

^c ^nr^ atharah. 8S ^Tl^fa salt alls.

^*m unais. tic ^3Hl^t^ ath a tails.

\t_

8£ ^ «MI*J un a cas or *S«j*^TO

>tnaw a cds.
^ V !T*W ekais.
^o tt^w pacas.

L\ TF^U^W ekaican.

*>8 ^^fa caubis.

H ^ fJKMT tir apan.
*»» M ^^
1
pacts,

4.8 *u*>l cauican.

^a W^t^T chabbis.

« *jT)|^<d sattais.
U.1 *nppi pac apan.
^

^c ^Idliy athais. ^ ^njiT rhappan.

*jO ^WT?»f satawan.

^t 'S^nffa unHls.
^•c: «9HT^»T athawan.
^ ° «ffa ft*.
a l
1£ ^refe un sath .

^^ ^fa battis.

^ ^S*fe efc
a
rf* or Tgn**f*

^8 ^ffffa cautls.
^b ^1^1% basath* or Tl^ff
^\. Mfffa paitis.

^ Wrt1*J ehattis.
^ ft^rfe tir'sath* or fJrwff
3*» ^flfa sait is.
causalh* or "efaff
^« ^3T?fa athHis. «f8 ^!<jf g

a
^£ <3«T*T^lfa u«. caZzs or
^l^^fe patsath 1 or ^37f

^£ W*n^fo cheasath} or W^wfT

8 1 THWI^ ekHalls.
8 ^ ^*H"^^ fcedZw. <*> ^fref^ sat'sath* or ^d*jf|

41 B ^HT^Pfa taitalis. sat^atth*.

 —

72 Maithili Grammar. [§ 124.

^c ^rar^fa- ath a sath* or *l^fff c« ^trjitt caurasi.

ar a sath l or ^J»^f^ ath°- c^ v^l^l pacasi.

satth\ WfHh -

*^ cheSst.

it ^T^f* un^hattar 1
.
*^ *Jd W satasi.
"9* ^fffT sattar*.
^^ ^faTil' athasl,

*\ mw^mfx. akohattar*.
c£ T^rHft nawasl.
*^ W^rfr bahattar*.
<£• »T^ nabbai.
%\ «r^rrfr tehattar*.
t\ T**T«Pr ekan a be.
%8 ^faw^ cauhattar*.
t^ WllW? baran a be or *WTW#
*>1 M^Wrlf^ pa^hattar*. 6eon°6g.

«^ W^»fT chehattar*. £^ flTT«T% terdn a be.

OO ^*T^rfr sat^hattar 1 . £8 ^tTTTW cauran a be.

«c ^tfv<>||x; athoJiattar*. £l ^^T^ paca?i"bB.
*>£ ^TnH" unasi. ti W^T*T# chean a be.
t# *T^ft assf. £0 ^ST?n«J3r san a tan a be.

(tc ^37«f^ athan 9 be.

c ^ WTT^ fcerasf or W^n€t freffsf. tt ftHH«f ninan a be.
c ^ ifTTft terasi.

Ordinals.

124. Ordinals are simple in their formation and run a*

follows :

hP*«ji pahil, first. ^T*nT satam, seventh.

^)*H rfosar, second. *||«5*< atham, eighth.

sfa^ £esar, third. ^»? naum, ninth.

^3" cauth, or ^lf<.«< carim, ?finT daSam, tenth.
fourth.

MI-^H pacam, fifth. 5OTIT^*f egar^ham, eleventh.

?««i Chatham, sixth.

Etcetera ;
the ordinals of the remaining numbers being formed
by adding ?r m as a termination.
 '*'
R 129.1 Pronouns.

Fractional Numbers.

125. The following are useful :—

xn^T pao, a quarter.

*TP* &dh, a half.

xffr paun, three-quarters ; or, less by a quarter.

^f}f sawaiyaL, one and-a-quarter ; or, plus a quarter.

^freT deorha, one-and-a-half ; or, plus a half.

Aggregate Numbers.

126. Note the form ^ dun 11

,
both.

CHAPTER^.

Pronouns.

127. The declension of Pronouns presents some important

which should be care-
of nouns,
points of difference from that

fully noted.

before postposi-
128. While most nouns remain unchanged
This oblique
tions, almost all pronouns have an oblique form.

form falls under two heads.

old oblique form. This, in the case of the

129. (1) The
only found in poetry. In the case of other
personal pronouns, is

used except when it refers

pronouns at the present day, rarely
it is,
an
to inanimate objects, or
when the pronoun is employed as
of t i, this, is *f« e»,
and
adjective. Thus, the old oblique form
10
 — —

74 Maithili Grammar. [§ 130.

Tjrfa %* eh* kg, to this, is only found when '

this '
is something in-

animate. jrf% %* eh* ki could not be used if '

this ' was a hoy.
But we can say Tjrf% 5*T\ %* eh* nen& k§, to this hoy, because here

trf^f eh* is used'as an adjective.

The following is a list of these old oblique forms :

Direct Form. Old Oblique Form.

*T mi, (old poetic form), I TlPs moA*.

f^tu, thou ffrf% toh*.

^ l, this (non-honorific) TjfiS efe*, TJT^ e/i. or TF^ azTi.

t f, this (honorific) frf^T hhi* or ^J5j km,

^t o, that (non-honorific) ^tf% oh'1 . ^t% oh. or ^Y^ anh.

iff o, that (honorific) sf«f %m* or ST &«».

$ jS, who (non-honorific)

# je, who (honorific) srfif yaw*.

# se, he (non-honorific)

% se, he (honorific) Trfsf £a«*.

% ke, who ? (non-honorific) «*lfa frafi,* (not used as an

adjective).

% ke, who ? (honorific) *"f?T kan*.

4?Y ki, what ? (substantive) ^ftft kathi.

WWt keo, anvone

130. (2) The modern oblique form. — This is never used as

-an adjective. It is almost always the only form employed when
the pronoun is used as a substantive and refers to an animate
object. It is hence the only form used at the present day for
personal pronouns. It is identical with the oblique form of the
genitive, which is obtained by adding Wt 8 to the direct form of
that case. Thus :
 Pronouns. 75
§ 131 ]

Genitive.

Pronoun.
Direct. Oblique.

«ftr rruir *ftTT mora.

M ml, I

^HT. hamar or 5f?TTI ham a ro.

TT ham. I

^jflT! hamar

?ftT for ?ftrr *6rfl.

f^tu, thou

toh or ^f thou hg^ f&Tiar or rfTVa toh*rn.

%fa fo, <f

'

ifhTK tohar

^xtfir appan or ^q«TT op a na

qpfirfi ap a 7iah>, self

f £, this (non-honorific) t?*t; ekar

f%«rar &&««& f^if^fT hin a ka.

3" f, this (honorific)

that (non-honorific) ^I^n: ofca r ^[*TJ ok a ro.

*ft o,

^ 6, that (honorific) S*T3t hunak S«T^fT hun a kn.

W[WKJakar STOTT jak a ra.

#/g, who (non-honorific)
sifsfWII janiko.
^je, who (honorific)
a
he (non-honorific) JT^fT takar ffW^T tak rn.
ir se,

rffsf^T tanika.
% sS, he (honorific)
^^'" q,%TJ kak a ra.
%
%
kS,

Jfeg,
who
who
?

?
(non-honorific)

(honorific)
M*15T

!^^> W qfiifWI-kanika.

apply. It
To the remaining pronouns these observations'^ not
genitive ends in «
will be observed that in the honorific forms the

&, while all the other genitives end in T r.

(see §§ 75, 76) that

nouns substan-
131. We have observed
When the idea of plurality
tive have no proper organic plural.
done by adding new words indicating
has to be expressed it is
plurality, such as W
sahh or «wf* sabaV, all *T*f*T
lok'ni, people. ;

Their plurals are formed in

The same is the case with pronouns.
 —

76 Maithili Grammar. [§ 132.

the same way. In the ancient MagadhI Prakrit from which Mai-
thili is descended there were distinct organic plural forms, and
(except in the case of the pronouns of the first and second persons)
these old plural forms have survived in the shape of the honorific
singulars, the old singulars heing relegated to a non-honorific mean-
ing. "With regard to the pronouns of the first and second persons-
the case is somewhat different. In ordinary Maithili, the old
singulars ( ?r ml, I and 7^ tu, thou) have fallen into disuse and
are now only found in poetry. The old plural forms are now em-
ployed in the sense of the singular, and the plurals are now formed
by the addition of ^v sabh, etc. (as is also the case with the
honorific pronouns mentioned above) and are really by origin
double plurals.

132. It may be mentioned here that the pronoun of the

second person has also an honorific form ^^f aha, ^T ahai or
*im ap a ne which will be described later on.

133. The employment of the old oblique form varies, and the
different methods of employment will be described under each
pronoun.

134. The genitives of the pronouns are freely used as posses-

sive pronouns, and, when agreeing with a noun in an oblique case
they are put into the modern oblique form described above. It

will be convenient to give examples of this once for all here.

(a) Direct Possessive Pronouns agreeing with nouns in

the Nominative Form :

X*K TTST ^JTT VTT7T hamar roj haraj hoit, my means of

livelihood will be spoiled.

f^TT <KTT»T *f^ «flT snn9 triya kdran mudai tor jumal, for"

the sake of a woman your enemy has come.

^UJW ^*T >*•* ^r*T fW^rrfr: V JT^T appan sabh dhan uray
bhikhar* bhai gel, having wasted all his substance he
became a beggar.

3PTO ^TT*W ^$f«T hunak kanab sun', having heard her

lamentations.
 — —

Pronouns. '•
R 134.]

WTOT ^^ WTTFWr, JWW: **T ^t jakar beduli lael, takar

how wonderful must be the beauty of ber

kehan sur'khi,
whose beduli you have brought.
takar dhan, whose is the
5TCT ^K ?T*T ^IT yaJfcar fcfe*,

field, his is the paddy-crop.

f^f^ *tf*m *i* takar akrdr likh dakhil

1

HXK <S*TTT
of that).
kardh, write and file a bond to that effect {lit.

**T tfte * fcafcar ghor chaik, whose is the horse ?

Oblique Possessive Pronouns agreeing with nouns

in
(fc)

the Oblique Cases :

<*«T*:r f^T^t W ham a ra sir°ki ml, in my hut.

jftX^T ^T * toft°ra $rAar we, in your house.

filTO %V*1 * ^U*J girhasth ap a nn man me

*TT
kah'lok,

the farmer said in his own heart.

he gave the
^sjT *«* ^'ft t^T ap°na carhaik ghori del,

mare of his own riding (i.e., his own riding mare).

sakhi ail*
*j*T WWTBT *^t *JTTf% S^^T ^*lft sang samaj
hun a ka phxdHoari, (her) companions and friends
came
(into) her garden.

«3T*T *SITT hun ka karan, for his sake.

a

employed. The direct

These oblique forms are not always
mcz-versa.
oblique form, but not
form is often used instead of the
direct form.
The oblique form is never used instead of the
correct; though the
The following pairs are therefore both

second is the more usual :

and
{WT f TOh * hamar sir'ki mi,

^*n:T f^T^t i ham'ra sir*ki ml.

f^mr
VW^TT ^Z* WTft
^ *fl#t appan cafhaik

ap'ndl carhaik ghori.

ghori, and

But the following examples, in

And so for the other
examples.
 — —

78 Maithili Grammar. [§ 135,

which an oblique form is used instead of a direct form, are

wrong :

^^?5T ^TT«T^ fjfsf hun a ka kanab sun*.

3TOTT ^?r rT*TT ^rsr jak«rS khet- tak a ra dhan, this would
mean ' to whom there is a field, to him there is a paddy-
crop,' conveying an altogether different meaning.

rr*Tl ^KTTT f%f?3 tak a ra ak«rar likh\

In phrases like %*x\ *J* -rff ham'ra sak nah\ I have

no
power (to do so and so), <?w<;r ham a ra is not a genitive.
It is a
dative, and the sentence literally translated is '
to me power is
not.'

The above possessive pronouns do not change for gender in the

modern language. My mother is ^TT «Tt hamar mflt, not <swfc mf
' '

hamar mai. In the old language, however, we now and then

1

come across instances of the feminine.

135. Given the oblique form, the declension of pronouns

closely follows that of nouns substantive. The principal points of
difference are :

(1) The Accusative singular is rarely the same as the nomi-

native, but is in the oblique, form either by itself or with the post-
position $ kg, added. Thus ^*T ham, I ; ^*n^ ham'ra or ^TTT 3?
ham a rd ke, me. The honorific pronoun of the second person, ^q*r
ap a ne or m^l ah%, and the interrogative pronoun €t kl, what ? are
the only exceptions to this general statement.

(2) The Genitives are formed according to a different series

of rules, as above explained.

(3) The Dative often drops the postposition ^f kg, an idiom

which is not allowable in the case of nouns substantive. Thus
VMX.\ ^r ham a ra ke or WKl ham a ra, to me.

(4) Pronouns have the same form whether referring to mas-

culine or feminine nouns.

(5) With the exception of the pronouns of the second person,

they all want the vocative case.
 '9
§ 137.]
Personal Pronouns.

Personal Pkonodxs.

136. There are three sets of personal pronouns, the first set

referring to the first person, the second to the second person, and
Each of the two last sets consists of two
the third to the third.
In other
divisions— an honorific, and a non-honorific division.
and third persons have each two
words, the pronouns of the second
forms, an honorific and a non-honorific. To people accustomed to
deal with eastern languages, I need do no more
than point out the
in no Eastern Indo- Aryan
fact, except to notice en passant, that
this distinction carried to a greater
length* than in
language is

Maithili. The pronouns of the third person are identical with

dealt with under
the Remote Demonstrative Pronouns, and will be
that head.

In order to clear the way, I commence with the two

old
137.
pronouns of the first and second persons
singular forms of the
These are *r
which at the present day are only used in poetry.
mi, I, and <|Jw. thou, and are declined as follows :—

Norn. *T me. I- 1*fi >

tnou -

Ace. ?frN moh\ me. ffrf^ tnh\ thee.

Instr. *frf% €f moh 1

so. by me. *ftf* ^f toh 1 so, by thee.

toh ^ to thee '

Dat. **f5 molS, to me. iftfs

Abl. Jfrf? *ff moh 1

so, from ?frf? *ff toh* so, from thee.

me.
Gen. *flT mor, my, of me. jf^ tua,
ovWiXtor, thy, of thee.

Loc. 1
*frf? *ff rno/i mo, in me. «ftff *ff toh* mo, in thee.

The oblique forms of the genitive are *TTTT mora and cfTTT tora.

In Yidyapati, lxxix. 13. «TTT mora is employed as a dative of poss-

ession. *m ^fW nah* mora (scanned as if it were *fTT

srf| *TTTT

mora) taka ach\ there is not a rupee to me. I have no money.

* It will be seen further on, that some verbs have not only a honorific
another pair
and a non-honorific form depending on the anbject, but have also
of honorific and non-honorific forms depending
on the object.
 —

80 Maithili Grammar. [§138.

The plural forms are not used. When necessary, the modern
plurals are said to beemployed instead, but I have never met an
example of this.
138. It will be observed how closely the declensions of the
pronouns of the first and second persons agree in the above para-
digm. The same is the case in the modern pronouns, which are as
follows :

Singular.

Nom. ^T ham, I. <ffe toh, or <ff to. thou.

~)
f ^*Kl ham a rd. 1 fdNll toh a ra.
Ace. ^ }>me. •{
^ ^-thee.
L^nCT if ham a ra ke. J [ fftTTT qr toh a ra kg, J

f ^HT ham a re. 1 by ' T^T toh a rg, 1

by
In str. u y meQi ! w s. . _ J* thee _
I^^TTT ^ ham a rd aa.
J
'
^*ft^TT H foWd ,?a. J

r^HT ham a ra. 1

^ ' fT^TT toh°ra. 1
to
-

% ham'ra me "

% toh"ra thee "

^.VTO kg, j l^ffftfTT kg, J

Abl. ^TTT ^ hamara sa. from me. dN<l ^ toh a ra sd, from thee.

Gen. ^^ hamar, or ^TTT hamar. WV^X. tohar, or *ftnT tohar.

my, of me. thy, of thee.

Loc. -**i"U *T ham a ra mg, in me. ?ftTTT *T toh a rd mg, in thee.

Voc -
. , ^V ?ff^ Aatt tdh, O thou.
 Personal Pronouns. 81
§ 138.]

Plural.

f <ffa WW tth sabh,~}

i

^*T WW ftam sabh, "\ \ flt WW iosafe/i, j

Nom.
^WTTWW/iam rusab/iJ |
ifhfTr WW toh a ra |

L safc&, J

f«l>S<r ** toh a ra~]

!fWTT WW ham a ra sabh, \

^w sabhi§
* km8r"
I

'
ns '

I iiiw
sabh.
SUUIO.

ww i
I

» >
[ toh-rasabhkij

TWO" WW ham a ra ~\
ftftva WW foWfl I

safcAe, !
,
safe^l, I
by
'
Instr. S s., fbyus. «{ fa _ uu
[
WU WW W ham a ra
j
riTTTT WW W foWa f J -

[_ sabh sa. J L.
sabh sa. J

f^TTr WW ham a ra~) f cftTU WW toh a ra ~\

sabh. ;
safeA, '
to
Dat. \ „ j-tons. \ ^ _ {*
: ^wrr ww ^r • m?Tf ww **> *oWa |

^ ham rasabhki,J
a
t_
sabh ke, J

Abl. WCT WW W ham a ra sabh sa, xfr^xi WW W foWo safc/i stf,

from us. from you.

WW^f ham a ra sabhak, fj>5Tr WW^f fo/i a ra sabhak,

Gen. "^WTT

our, of us. your, of you.

Loc. ^TF ^^ hama ra sabh ml, fft^Tr WW W /o/i°ra sabh mi,

in us. in you.

^ ?ff^ WW feaw toh ~\

Voc. }-Oje.
^Y rTTfTT WW fea«
|

tohfira sabh. J

11
 — —

82 Maithili Grammar. [§ 139.

Instead of w sabh we may as usual employ tuPs sabah 1 or

^»fif lok a ni throughout, except that it is not customary to use them

with the direct forms ^*T ham, and *ffa toh or ?ff to. Thus we

do not hear ^n ^f% ham sabah 1 orfTf? , ^l'*{«f toh lok a ni. In the

genitive plural we can, as usual, have W %T sabh her, instead of

W*?m sabhak.

The terminations f^f A* and s h z are often added to these pro-

nouns. The former gives emphasis, and the second means ' also.

Thus ^rft hamah*, I (emphatic), I alone, as distinguished

from other people ; ^wm hamah z , I also ; iffe t5h a , thou also ;

X*Haa ham a rah" (with shortening of the final vowel of tTRTT

ham a ra), to me also.

139. rffa tth and ?ff to are non-honorific pronouns of the

second person. There are two honorific pronouns of this person.

*qXT aha or ^% a hat, and ^TT ap a ne.

These are declined exactly like substantives, and have no

oblique form. Thus, genitive ^rfa ahak, or ^%^i ahatk, and

^nra^f ap a nek, your. The only irregularity is the instrumental

singular, the various forms of which are :

^r ahat, ^T?f % aha sd, or ^ft ^ ahat scf, 1

r by you.
and ^^ fc
^ o^°ne sa, J
The plural is, as usual :

^f (or ^f) ^W afta (or ahat) sabh, *j«(p< sa6aA», or <^l<»f*

^l 1 ^ ^M ap ne a sabh, etc.

a
*JT«r </p ne is more honorific than ^T^f aha. The latter is

sometimes even used when talking to inferiors. S^f a^S, in fact,

is polite ; while rffa /6/i is rwie or vulgar.

In Hindostani *TPT op, your honour, is construed with the verb

in the third person plural, as in HIT* ^\ «Tl% ^ apkaha jate

§ 140. j The Reflexive Pronoun. 83

hniy where is your honour going ? In Maithili, on the contrary,

^ITf aha and ^M«J ap a ne. are construed with the second person

honorific of the verb, as in ^M«f «t£ri «rfaf ^T?jr *^«?1 ap a ne bahut

nik hatha kahal, your honour made a very excellent remark.

The Reflexive Pronoun.

140. Closely connected with the foregoing is the Reflexive

Pronoun ^M*!^ ap nah> or ^iM a ap a ne, self, which is employed

exactly like the Hindostani WTT op, genitive ^tTTT up a nn, always

referring to the person of the subject of the sentence.

The genitive of ^iMp^ ap a nah* is ^*T«r a pan, or "ayo|«f appan,

own, with an oblique form ^'^•n' ap a na, which is also used as an ob-
lique base. Thus, Ace. Dat. ^M«U np a na, or ^V«fl ^ ap naa
ke, to

oneself.

The nominative plural is H|M«4[M (or ^v|«f) W ap a ?iah i (or

ap a ne) sabh, *nfe sabah% or <?fl<*f«r lok a ni. The oblique cases of

the plural are formed from the base ^TTT ^T up a n<l sabh, etc. Thus
Gen. plural ^TT«TT ^3» ap a na sabhak, ^M«il *Hp3* ap Q nn mb a hik.
^VWt Wfafa^i ap a nd lok a nik, of selves.

The Locative plural, ^TTT ^T W «p a "tf sabh m§, or (as fre-

quently happens) with the plural suffix dropped, ^WT ^ ap a na

m§ means amongst
'
themselves,' like the Hindostani ^ih*j « apas
mi.

The following are examples of the use of this pronoun :—

S WWftlWT ap a nah> bilas sa gel sar a -

^nrfi fiFgra JI^I

log a tca, he himself, after enjoyment (of this life), went

to heaven.

Wtt SHCTffa ^^ ^ifilHll ^?f^ ap a ne brah°manik rup

dhai kagania carhal\ she herself,, taking the form of a

Brahman woman, ascended the bank.

VI*T «T^t ^^ TT*T JI^T ^^ «ftfw *TTO, upon mara«^f

 84 Maithili Grammar. [§ 141.

up a ne gay yabait calu joyiya yam, having sung our own

death-song let us go singing to the village of Jogiya.

^TT VSS f€*t T^lf*? ^T 'Srrre ap an buh u betl rukh a lunh*

yhar sutay, he has put his own daughter-in-law and

daughter to sleep at home.

1m ^''TTr ^¥ W ^rf^ ^rr^ bmri up a nu bus m§ ab* jay, (if)

an enemy come into one's own power.

<*<M«ll * %f% 3T 3f T^^ up a na vii mel* kui kd rah u bah, you

will remain at peace amongst yourselves, i.e., with each

other.

The Demonstrative Pronouns, and Pronoun oe the

Third Person.

141. There are two Demonstrative Pronouns, —a Proximate,

^ i or t i, this, and a Remote, ^T o, that. The Remote Demon-
strative Pronoun is also used as a Pronoun of the third person,

with the meaning of *

he," "
she," or '
it.'

142. Each of these pronouns has two forms, a non-honorific

and an honorific. Each of these latter, again, has two oblique
forms, the old, and the modern.

143. These pronouns may be either substantives or adjec-

tives. When used as substantives they are declined throughout.

When used as adjectives they are unchanged when the substan-

tive with which they are in agreement is in the form of the

nominative, and are put in the old oblique form when the sub-
stantive is not in that form. Thus, X ^"TT i nena, this boy ; ^t ^TT
o nena, that boy ; i; W*J #»TT i sabh nena, or f; ^«rr ^TH I nena sabh,

these boys ; ^t ^H %«rr o sabh nena. or ^JT ^'•fT ^V o nena sabh, those

boys ; but yfe ^«n^f eh* nenak, of this boy; s^f^ ^«TI^f oh* nenak,

of that boy ;
?f% W* *MI* eh 1 sabh nenck, or yff ^«rr WV^f eh*

nena sabhak, of these boys ;

*frf% ^H ^Tl^f oh* sabh nenak. or ^Yf%
§ 144.]
Demonstrative Pronoun*.

sabhaJc, of those boys. The modern oblique forms

^T <w* oh'' nena

Are never \ased in this way.

of these pronouns are:-

Other examples of the adjectival use

wisdom come to this

taknlh ahil haitaik. how far will

fool.

*' 1*"** fei ra*9 bcW What iS

*f* ***** «t T* «f*
'

the prospect of this harvest.

hS hltahT rnlait
t^t w w*4 *m* ** ohi "* ' **
*1f*
that night he went away somewhere.

*fl W^ i*K*H W** oh*

alchemist.
rasarntk theknn naJ*

lagal. no trace was found of that

non-honorific pronouns
144. When used as substantives, the
to inanimate objects and
using the
have two forms.-one referring
objects
other refers only to animate
old oblique form, while the

and uses the oblique form.

modem Thus *fr 3 *' -I, this -
5 ehTa ,»i, in this (living creature, ; <lf% * «*
(thine, ;
?*TT

mi, in that (thing), in it: ^STT * .M ««. in that (living

creature (, in him. in her.

of Demonstrative Pronouns
There are thus three declensions

when used as substantives, viz:

—
( a )
Non-honorific inanimate.

(
b) Non-honorific animate.

(b) Honorific animate.

is not
It stands to reason
that an honorific inanimate declension
is the declension of
Demonstrative
likely to occur. The following

Pronouns.
86 Maithili Grammar. [§ 145.

145. (u) Non-Honorific Inanimate.

Singular.

X i or t 7, this. ^r o. that.

Mom. ^ i or t ?, this =^r e>. that.

Ace. ^ ^ ^
&#, this.
-
2
Ty|ij
eh i ^ ^. efei ^ ^^ -^ ofej ^^. ^ oAJ ^
that.
Instr. ^ | ^ § e/i? g(fj by thfs ^^ £ oA ^ b ^ that .

Dat. y|% ^r eh 1
eA*, ?f% kg, to ^ftf? o/t
;
.
wtf% * oh 1
kg, to
this- that.
AU1 -
?X% W e*' so, from this.
^fjf% ^ fci sd, from that.
Gem ^^ elcar, of this.
^^TT oA;ar, of that.
Loc. 5ft * 1
eh mg, in this. ^ftf% *o# ml, in that.

Plural.

Nona. ^ 5?H i su6/i, or t W 7 sa6/i. Wt W» o sabh, those.

. . these.

Ace. ?f* ^V (^) eA> *a6A (fcg).

^f% ** (i) o/i' ,s«M, (Jfcl),

these. those.

f5 *J*f e safe/i, 1

r
Instr. 1
'

7T? r

a-
W^ fe ,;l
e/i
,
sa&A
,
(.by
f these.
Wlf^
those.
^*? ^ o&* s«6/i sj", by

Dat. ¥f% *W W eh* sabh (k§), to

g^ w(i) o# sa6A (fcg), to

these. those.

Abl. yf% WW *S di 1
sabh sd. from ^tff W9 ofc* sa&ft sa. from
these. those.

Gen. "5^ ^3f eh* subhak, of these.

Ofe ^?^ o/i' sabhak, of those.

Loc. -jf|% ^v *t ehi m bh m §^ ;,, ^f^ w^ ;,f

^ft TO g^ j n
these. those. '
'
 — —

87
e Demonstrative Pronouns.
145 -j

TT, A or *»
Instead of 5ft AS we may have, throughout,
similarly for «f« AS we
may have «1 ok or 4* au».
d, and

I have not noted any instrumental

form of * 8,
corresponding to

* The genitives singular *** Aar and **rr Star

the I of i i.

„ contractions of ^^ * tar and *M« A'

Aft
tar respec-

«* AA.
have not met with forms
like rf* or
rivelv.

we might
I

expect. The plural sum* may be

—
^ »** ™ tead
as

of « A **! **-* 0t
^ " Sed " S
' **
Pr0n0UT,S

only to inanimate objects.

non-honorific pronouns,
we
As examples of these inanimate

may
t
quote

TO
:

^ ft*IW fA I rtar a", W W. W «* is the

(referring to a cow).
eighth calving of this one

f $ *.r? i lejoh, take away this.

a >-« as ttaM cm, i

^ 4t writ know
vri «*
this, that
#^
your honour
«i<
is Bhadri.
did not

is the fol-
the moral of this
'this frnit comes out,
i.e..

lowing

*ft * <*, mm
profit.
:

^ <* ml W UM -W » ** there is

no

ate up its kernel.

these pronouns we
have T* Ae,tte
As an emphatic form of
«d. or H rt that indeed, as in *m «IVf-W
indeed, and

„ ^ rf. T* M Hta* JM1 44 A. colait rakoi. (when)

to
alive, that is the
very song they used
na
Di and Bhadri were

sing;lt«wH«# —* «* " (<"'

it off.
•* "*' "
"

,vho has stolen (the

property) and carried
 —

88 Maithili Grammar. [§ 146.

146. (6) Non-Honorific Animate.

This is declined like the inanimate pronoun, except that "JTOTT

ek*ra is substituted for 3rf% eh> and VfaTT <-k a ra for *ftf% oh 1 .

Thus :—

Norn. T * or ^ *, this qff a, that.

?W ek°r§. 1
^
Instr. *{ $„ , „ ^t^c Wrt^T W o£ aTfi »£, by that.

Dat. <{
f T^TT efc°ra.
"1

to this. J
f ^p^ fco r5 )
C
^ j^
*P
LT^TTr 4r e£°ra *#, J that "

l^faiTT Wok'rri fcg, )

Gen. ^TT eArar. of this. ^fl^UT Ckar, of that.

PZuraZ.

Nom. X; ^H i safcfc, f ^v t ^afc/t. etc.. WT W o sabh. etc., those.

these.

Dat. y^fTT ^V (<$) ek a rri sabh (kg). <faTTT ^V ( ^) oWfl *«6^

to these. (kg), to those.

Similarly for the other cases. I have not noted any instru-
mental form of ^T o, corresponding to the ?<*<, ek a r§ of f" f. In

the plural, instead of ^v sabh, we can, as usual, have ^^f% sabah 1

or ^faffsT l(ik a ni. As examples of these animate non-honorific pro-

nouns, we may quote :

^TT qjTT^nf^f TTf«fsT ^"fe o aikalh x gdbhin' ach\ nowadays she

is in calf (referring to a cow).

r
^faTT "Fff *TTf ^^fnr^T ff^ <*T ok°ra eh 1 tar°h§ ghab a rnrl

dekh' ka, having seen him distracted in this manner.

In the following ^fafTT ok a ra is irregularly used to refer to an

inanimate object. tF&T WT ipi ^t^iTr WZ TJZ ?f ff ^W takhan o

sabh ok a rn jhat-pat tor* delak. then they at once broke it (sc. a

stick).
 J

§ 147. Devionstrative Pronouns. 89

TT3JT *q\6*i fT«gi»r ekar at ham bian, her eighth calving.

$lf% ^f W*,^X T^TH ^T^> % ^3J° Wft*I° *?faf jeh { mii

okar par a baras hoik se abasya kartabya tMk, we must cer-

tainly do what is necessary for its (the child's) support.

?«*Ki W» 3T fw 3T <T^I?t ek a ra sabh kg kich u kai dekhabf.

having done something, let me show it to all these (viz.

to his sons).

9*<J H<\f% 3T "%HX.\ W*i <13T9 ^^ ci Q /-fl sabah* kg hamflra lag

pathae daih. send all these (n:., dogs) to me.

f^T &* added to these oblique forms gives emphasis, while ^ hz

when suffixed, means '

also." Thus Tj<*<frj % ek a rah} kg, it is to

this one ; ^l + <^ Mdiy f^afaf ok°rah z pathae diauk. send him also.

Observe that the final WT a of i^iTr Q

efc rrt and ^1*<| nk a ra is

shortened before these suffixes.

147. (c) Honorific.

The old honorific oblique forms of t" i and ^T 6 are frfiT &*"»'

and sfif &«n' respectively. We meet them variously spelt. Some-

times we have f%«T fc*« and ^nr &«n; sometimes fijf-e &»»&' and

«f*5 hunh'. and sometimes f&% hinh and w^ hioilc For the sake

of convenience I shall only employ f%f«T &*»' and ^f^r &»n' in the

paradigms, biit it should be remembered that the other forms are

often met with. Indeed, the most usual form of the genitive is

fip8Pi hinak and g«T?i hunak. and not f^fsr^f hinik and ;gf«i<* hunik.

These old oblique forms are only employed as adjectives, and.

being honorific, rarely occur in the literary style, though one hears

them in conversation. We have an example in sf*T ^rf*T^f 3flT«r

hun* snvamik karan. for the sake of that (respected) husband (the

prospective wife is speaking), in the song of Salhes.

12
 — —

90 Maithill Grammar. [§ 148.

148. The modern oblique form is the oblique genitive of the

old oblique form. Thus, f%*T^5T hin a ka and 8«PET hun°ka, of which

f^f^RiT hinika, fa«3*l hinh a ka, faf-$*l hinhika, and sfsiWl hunika,
**^«l»i hunh a ka, ^r*^*r hunhika, are optional varieties.

149. The declension of the honorific pronoun is the same as

that of the non-honorific, substituting f%«ran hin a ka and g^RTl
hun a ka, or any of the optional spellings, forjUii l ek a rn and ^FTT
nk a rd, respectively. Thus :

Singuiur.

Nom. ^ i or t z, this. qft o, that.

Instr. r>s«i<*T ^T hin Q ka sd. by this. 3«!<*t ^ hun a kd sd, by that.

( f^T^TT hin a ka. \

to j
^p^ hun a ka, ) to
thl8 that
i f^RfT £ fo»«fca frS, )
-
j gnp*r **f ^n^a kS, )
"

,Ten -
] } of this. J I of that.
a
( h»»iq\< hin kar. ) ( ggRiT hun a kar. )

Plurul.

Nom. T W & .vu6/i, t W ? *a6fr, etc.. ^fr *W 6 safeA, etc.. those.

these.

Dat. f%5i^r ^(^f) hin a ka sabh m*Ffl W» (^) hun'ka sabh

(kg), to these. (kg), to those.

Similarly for the other cases. As usual, in the plural we can

use ^*f% sabah 1
or ^faffa lok a ni instead of *w sabh. Examples
of the use of this form of the demonstrative pronoun are :

P<5«i<iu Mj^tjfd t? hin a kri phursat* deb. 1 will give him leave to

depart.

* #i«*r Tr? THT aTT^t 3<S<» kun a ka mae bop gari delak, have the
father and mother given abuse to her (i.e.. have tlujy

abused her).
 —

§ 153.] Relative and Correlative Pronouns. 1)1

*Wi *l
<
TUTT «rf% hunika mata nah*, to hiin there is no mother,
he has no mother.

as •i* <?w*i«( ^sfiT hunuk kanab sun*, hearing her weeping.

150. The above genitives J^nc ekar, ^TWfT okur, f^«j<» hinak,

or p^«iq\i hin a kar and ^«J<* hunak or ^•f<*< hun a kar, are usually
all put into the oblique form when agreeing with a noun in an
oblique case. Examples of this will be found in § 134 ante.

The Relative and Correlative Pronouns.

151. The Relative Pronoun is # je. who. which, and its Cor-

relative is # se, he, she, it. that.

152. As in the case of the Demonstrative Pronouns, each has

two forms, a non-honorific and an honorific ; and the non-honorific
form, again, may be animate or inanimate. There is, however
this difference, that in the Instrumental, Ablative, and Genitive
singular, and thz-oughout the plural, the form usually employed
tor inanimate nouns may also be employed for animate ones.

153. When used as adjectives, the oblique forms ( 5rT|fa

jdh* and *fT"f% tah 1 ) of the non-honorific inanimate declension are

used when in agreement with a noun in an oblique case. Examples

of the adjectival use of these pronouns are as follows :

# <ffa| ^t ^rv W%fa «n+^l«i H^f ^f*, ?r W» ^^?r je cij bast*

sabh ahak nok a san bhel ach*, se sabh pahucat, all your
property which has been spoilt, will arrive (i.e., be re-

stored).

^T <^1<* ^r?^f W^f # ^fl^f ii^f je /ok Sel chat, se lok yei. the man
who came, went.

«H[^ wfr^T^ *I«T dlfa ^fl^f VTT J&h* ICkak khet, tah} lokak

dhan, the person who owns the field, owns the paddy.
92 Alaithili Grammar. [§ 154.

«frf% ^T fofarafT ^ WW *ttf% ^5T ^*QT W ^rl* jahS ban siki-o ne

dolai, tah* ban hansa chai larai, (in) the forest where even
the reeds are motionless, his soul is fighting.

154. When used as a substantive, the inanimate non-honorific

form is declined as follows. The Instrumental, Ablative, and

Genitive singular, and the whole of the plural can be also used to

refer to animate nouns.

155. (a) Non-Honokific Inanimate.

Singular.

^ije, which, who. % se, he, she, it, that.

Nom. ^ JS, which. % se, that.

Ace. 5Tlf^ ( W)jah? (ke), to which, *f\f% ( cjr) tah 1 (ke), to that.

Instr
$*& 7 by which, j
*& ) by that.

Dat. *Trf^ (%)jah i

(he), to which. «Tlf% ( w) tah1 (H), to that.

Abl. ^rfe Tjjah 1

sd. from which. «TI"f% ^f tah* s(f, from that,

from whom. from him.

Gen. W*jas u ,
of which, of whom, tm tas u . of that, of him.

Loc. «TTf% ^jdh 1

me, in which. ?TI"f% H tnh* me, in that.

Plural.

Nom. % Wje sa6fe, which, who. # ^m sS sabh, those, they.

Ace. «lTf% W ( $? )
;aA* s«6A £|. ?f T ^% ** ( ^ ) iafc* safcfc (itf ),

which, who. those, they.

Instr. Wrf% W* $ jah* sabh sa,hj ?nf% & tah' sabh W so", by
which, by whom. those, by them.

Dat. «nf% WV {<$)jtih* sabh (ke), to <TTf% W» (3r) Wife* .<?afc& (Jfcl), to

which, to whom. those, to them.

 —

§ 155.] Relative and Correlative I'rononns. 9&

Abl. Wf% W ^jSh* sabh sa, from «Trf% W¥ £ff# sabh sd. from
which, from whom. those, from them.

Gen. wf% W3> /ofc* sabhak. of rnt% ^V^f £a&* sabhak. of

which, of whom. those, of them.

Loc. nf% WV
;s *T /«# sa&ft me. in Wlf? W *T £a&' sabh m§. in

which, in whom. those, in them.

Instead of ^ijf^jah 1 and crrfV #*&*, we sometimes find in poetry

*f\ ja and err £«. We also sometimes have ^f% jeh* and ^f% te/i\

which are properly Bhojpuri. From this last we have an instru-

mental wf% jeh* and «rft teh+, which are used adverbially, to mean

'as,' 'so.' The Genitives «re jas u and , rTQ tos* are only used in

proverbs and poetry. In one place Vidyapati has Jnf% tas 1 (xviii,

7). I have not met forms like fnfawjahik and rrrfTSf tahik, which

we might expect. The plural suffix may. as usual, be ^f% sabah*

or ^ffaffsr lok a ai instead of W» sabh. As examples of this form of

the honorific pronoun we may quote :

5T ^fr?^f # S^T je ael se gel, he who came, went.

*Jlf? I *rm ^fN % ^flT fafl<H **TC? iah? sd nam calainh 1 ,

<e hamar kiriya kaidh, in order that {lit. from which) our

name may continue, so perform our funeral rites.

In the following the final f

;
of ^[f%jah has been lengthened
{

for the sake of metre.

mfW 3 6hi sS kichu P nid

" ahid
srrrt If far
i.
vtfrtm ^^x
°
t*r -

karui ben, from whomsoever you would receive benefits, you

must bear abusive words.

katha sabh sikhde diati*, kijdh 1 sdtoh'rd lobh haitah", I will

teach you several sayings from which there will be gain to

you.
 —

94 Maithili Grammar. [§ 156.

sram «n * ftwt ^<si* ^fr iiir ^ranr frft#t jakara ja sS rift

durahuka duri y&le doguna piriti, to whom, with whom there

is affection (i.e., when there is mutual affection), the love

is twice as strong the more distant they are from each other

(Vidyapati, xlvi. 1).

?TT WH td, mma. like that (Vidyapati, xvi. 2).

wf^ ^Y ^fwc M<«K*l ^t^» jeh 1 sau okur par a bara,< hoik, so

that (lit. from which) its support may be, (we must take
precautions for the child's support).

<ff% ^^^T teh* abasura, at that time (Vid. xxviii. 4).

Wps 3*w^ "fif^f JT^TT, jeh* ailah teh* ge/a, as he came, so he

went,

^nj ^T«r TW «TTT% jasu mana parama tarase, in whose heart

there is exceeding fear (Vid. vii. 5).

*nj<ji-«*j «rf% '^t'TT tasu sahasa nahl sima, there is no limit to

her courage (Vid. vii. 4).

dlfa fTS tasi ripu, his foe (Vid. xviii. 7).

156. Several emphatic forms of these pronouns have been

noted. Such are w^jaih, who, *Nf seh, it% saih, ^ff? soe, even he ;

*Nft s eo, W%\ sehd, W^*$t seh-o, he also. Thus,

^ ^<JT «T«T «TT W*f!*f ^(Wt^t saiha caturajana jaiha bujhata

abadhari, they alone are wise who can understand it cor-

rectly (Vid. xvii. 7).

TfH^Tf *T^ ^ «rr^ tanika seh pai nah, he alone (will be) a

husband to her.

^Wl +*\*\ r«l<g*l ^T W\TF ca nana laga bikhama sara sde, the ap-

plication of sandalwood, —even that is an intolerable arrow

(Vid. xvii. 3).
-§ 157.] Relative and Correlative Pronouns. 95

'i^tfT ^1t *MT seha-o duri gela, that also went far away (Vid.

lxxiii. -i).

%^T fqfti ^\f% 3WT sehd thika ohi thoma, that also is in that

place (Vid. xvii. 3).

157. It will have been noticed from the above that while
# sB is generally employed as a correlative, it is sometimes used as
an independent demonstrative pronoun. Its Instrumental singular

appears under various forms, such as If tat, <u tau, Wt tau, eft to,

or with emphatic t h ^rt ^ or w ^h emphatic ^t o, ri^ft Ho,

ri^jf taio, or d^^ taiao. all of which are commonly used adverb-

ially. Thus :—

if »rf% ^irfsj TTT% te nahi harathi y arose, therefore he does not

devour it (Vid. xiv. 8).

ff «rf% <+^<?f ^JtfTT tai nahi hamala sukhai, therefore the lotus

does not wither (Vid. xiv. 6).

«ff ^ ^13" *F*T. ^*T TW «fT ^TO ^T tau paya jibe, adhara

sudha-rasu jau pay a pibe, so long will it live, as long as it

sips the nectar of the lower lip (Vid. ii. 5).

<ft T^f ^rfafal Wt$ to paya jibathi jibe, so long will he remain

living (Vid. x. 10).

•jf'i" ^-f% ai^r ^T3T tii bah' gel hawa, exactly so did the wind

blow.

W^t i*^? %^ "^T¥ tio dhasala kes'a pose, therefore also my hair

was disordered (Vid. xl. 7).

«Hft 7jf%«T *ff% *NiT taio tulita nahi bhela, still it did not equal

(the beauty of thy face) (Vid. vi. -i).

?T^j^t «fTgixf^r *<*-< '^•r<l taiao kumudini kuraya ananda, never-

theless the water-lily rejoices (Vid. xlvi. 6).

 — — a

96 Maithili Grammar. [§ 158.

158. (b) Non-Honorific Animate.

This is declined like the inanimate pronoun, except that

5J<1\TT jak a ra is substituted for «irff jah*. and W«*<F tak a ra for

«Trf% tah*. Thus:

Singular.

Nom. ^ ye, who. if se, he, she, that.

*FKXJak a r§, J
Dv C «^T tak a r§, ) by
T (
Instr. nim *
|

jak a ra
I w om
li
'
1
( rR\TT
i
^ tak a ra sd, )
( «rafTr *J s(f, J &c.

Dat - jil^n ( 5r )
jak a ra (if), to fT^TT ( <F ) ia/fc°ra (ke), to

whom. him, &c.

Gen. npffcjakar, whose. d*< takar, his, her, its.

PZ?tra/.

Nom. ^ ^r^'e safcft, who. # W se sa&ft, they.

Dat. arJ*<J W ( ?R" ) jak a ra sabh ?R»TT ^>T (

?
<* ) tak a ra sabh

(k§), to whom. (&f ), to them.

Similarly for the other cases. In the plural, as usual, 4Hp£

sabah or 1
^Tfaff*T lok a ni may be substituted for ^nr sabh. Occasion-

ally we come across ^WKJekar instead of *TWS. jakar. ^WTJ jek"r

instead of *T<*<J jak°rn, 5*< tekar instead of rT3JT takar, and ^^fTT

tek a ra instead of rf*^r tak a ra. These are properly Bhojpuri

forms.

As examples of these non-honorific animate pronouns we may

quote :

aj*< WfT cRTT ^T^jakar khet. takar dhan, whose is the field, his

is the paddy-crop.

5ri*< *$TZ\ <i<*K TTt^ jakar lathi takur mahis. he who owns
the cudgel owns the buffalo.
 —

§ 159.] Relative and Correlative Pronouns. '-

97

arVTI ^f T^ ^f% T^I ^f* jak a ra sfi ras cub* raW ach*,

(grapes) from which the juice is exuding (here the pronoun

is, exceptionally, inanimate).

<J|<*< «[«T^r *q<s»<g<* T iNFT «rhr€t TTO jekar banal akhara wa tekar

bar a ho mas, he whose (fields) are ready in Asadh, is ready

also all the year round.

f% h* (even), and s h s (also), are added as in the case of

demonstratives. Thus (Vid. 1. 4).

ehi abasura puhu milanu jehana sukha\

jakarahl hoe se janaW

Only she that hath experienced them, knows the bliss of the

tryst with the beloved at such a time.

159. (c) Honorific Animatl.

The honorific oblique forms of #/e and # se are srfsr jan* and

frfsr tan\ respectively. We thus get the following declension

which is exactly parallel to that of f I and <T 5 :

Singular.

Norn. *tje. whu. % se, he, she, that.

Instr. sri^rr If janika s<F, by whom. dfa*r ^ f anifca s«f, by him, her.

Dat. -srfsnsr ( 9F ) janika (ftf), to rffsptfT ( 3r ) tem&5 (fcf), to

whom. him, her.

Gen. srfipR janik. «ri^»T janikar. cff^f* Janifc, fifiq^ taniiar,

whose. his, hers.

13
 — —

98 Maithili Grammar. [§ 160.

Plural.

Nom. ^ W»je sabh, who. «% W* se sabh, they.

Dat. «J"f5T^fr W* ( if ) janika sabh crfa^rr ^*T ( W ) tanika sabh

(he), to whom. (hi), to them.

And so on for the other cases. As usual, in the plural we can

use ^f% sabuh*, or ^ft^ifa lok"ni instead of ^M sabh. Examples
of these honorific forms are :

^5T aTf«PfiT ^wft ~n\M ^T vfr ff*J jehcn janilcar cak a ri,

teh a ne-san bhar { deth', as is each one's (lit. whose) service,

exactly so he pays in full.

€^fr ^rar»icT ^ ifr 3^Ti^ arfa^rr ^^^rr ^Tt keojamfinat dai k§

buc a ldh, janika am n la nehi, some, to whom there was affec-

tion on the part of the court officials, got off by g'.ving bail.

^if^Ri 3T^»T "fcjfsT janika ehana dhani, (a man) whose wife is so

(beautiful), (Yid. li. 2).

f^j 3T^ ?rf*I^\ J. '51^' hi kuhnba tanika- gerne, what shall I say

(about) his wisdom ? (Yid. xxii. 2).

160. I have not noted any cccunence cf the employment of

the oblique genitive of ^ je, though, cf course, it is commonly

heard colloquially. For % st, we have the following pair of ex-

amples :

Direct Genitive —
*jr*§ JT.ft; f^, <f%k T3rfr^ ^ •rf* ^*" **«ta l
r l& gnr {

deli, ti.kar utar hi.m nuK* hi(h u kuh a luuk, a thousand

abuses didst thou give me, but 1 said to thee no answer

to (lit. of) it.

Oblique Genitive —
tT^fTf 3^J % 3^Ti^r «re ^T«t«T ^fV tnk a rn bal se gnl~mi ja\

ca-°buit uch\ through her might Gulami Jat is grazing

(cattle).
 Interrogative Pronouns.
99
§ 162.]

161. Interrogative Pronouns.

There are two interrogative pronouns, viz., % ke, who ? and

^t hi, what ? The former only refers to animate objects, and the

latter only to inanimate.

162. When employed as adjectives % JcS and €t ki become

Vft lew or ^sj kauri, but when agreeing with a noun in the nomi-

native singular <tft kl may remain unchanged. Examples of the

adjectival use of these pronouns are :

—
% Jce,—*ft <*f:«r <?;** *rta o kon Uk thl\-, what caste is he ?

«RTiT ^"l*PS ^1^ V* kCn Ukak ghof clwik, cf what person is

(this) the horse, i.e., what person owns the horse ?

*fa JTCF^r^T kauri garu par a hm, what misfortune has befallen

you?

S^fT if* 5* ^T Ararat ^f#t W^ puchait chainh* je kaun

loijak habeli chik, you are asking, '(of a man) of what caste is

'
this the house ?

^ ^RT 3Ti3F* sftfaPIT 5JJPC kaun upay jtleb jogirja nagar, by

what device shall we go to Jogiya town ?

ki,—x ^'T U^r* fafNs i kd» bicn tJiikaih, what calving is

qft

this ? (i.e., how many times has she calved before ?)

*TtaTr *T ^*T a
3TT ^3f ci r« me ken gun chcik, what virtue is

there in it ?

w& *f;*r *i ^rfa <srry<jr «hr ^« te/a we pant lael chdh, in

what vessel have you brought the water ?

**T*T f^Jr % WT^*5^r5 ^if *««n rfzsrt keubait Uai kahah*

bujhry, tell (me) in what direction he may be coming.

!Vfr €t *FJT?T *.f* P^r 1

lijhugora ach', then what (cause of)

quarrel can there be ?

 —

100 Maithili Grammar. 16&

[§

*t «Tm fV^f fo wow chhik, what name is it F

163. The declension of % fee (the animate pronoun) closely

follows that of the animate forms of ^ je.
There are, as usual non-honorific and honorific declension*
They are as follows :

Singular.

Non-honorific. Honorific.

Norn. % ke, who ? which ? % w ho ?

jfcg, which ?

3T^n: kak a re, 1 by

tr
J w horn
by
'

t kak,„a ra- «• (whom''

rYt±uu± vfsTOT*? fcantfc««f, P
**<J ¥ j
sa, )
-

Dat, *TO (i) fcafc°rrt (fcg), to «*fw ( *r ) Jtnm'Arfl (if), to

whom ? w h om ?

Gen. ^TT kakar, whose P tf^ kanik. ^fk^r. kanikar,

whose ?

Plural.

Norn. % ^ fe sao h, who ? % ?jv he sabh, who ?

Dat, mrtl W» ( 3r ) fcflfc"ra s«6A ^rfsi^rT ^rv *r kanikft sabh ki,

(ke), to whom ? to whom ?

and so on for the other cases. In the plural, as usual, wwfcsabah*

or sjffaffiT lak a ni, may be substituted for ^V sabh. Occasionally we

come across %^PC kekar instead of ^T3»T kakar, and #3JTT kek'rn in-

stead of et»m<j kak a ra, but these are properly Bhojpuri forms. 1

have not come across 3frf% fcfiA* corresponding to 5rrf/% /ffW in the
modern language, but Vidyapati employs it in passages such as

^ifa ^%^ ^r £flta' kahaba dukha, to whom shall I tell my

distress ? (lxi. 2.)
 — —

§ 164.] Interrogative Pro-nouns. 101

As examples of these animate interrogative pronouns, we may

quote :

^T*T "WT^ sNf kukar ghor chaik, whose horse is it ?

%^fT! y-sH «rar? kekara ehana jamae, who has such a son-in-

law ( Vid. Lxxxi. 4) ?

miT\ f * sftftraT -^Talfi- V^SF* ^TT^ kak a ra deke jogiya jajar'

bhejab samad, having given whom (i.e., by means of whom)

shall we send word to Jogiya Jljari.

^nrq^T .rsrw ^s^f % ^rTT hibudhala nayana hataya ke para, who

can turn aside a greedy eye P (Vid. iv. 3).

1 have not come across any instances of the honorific forms in

literature, hut they are occasionally heard colloquially.

164. The inanimate interrogative pronoun is faf ki or #V ki,

what ? It is often written fan* kia or fare hie, especially in

poetry. Its declension is quite -irregular, and is as follows:

Singular.

Nom. fai ki, ^\ ki, or far^ kia, what ?

Ace. ^Hft 3T, kathi k§. or ^t ki, what ?

Instr. WOfkatht. 3T«rt *? kathi s&, by what ?

Dat. ^t |r kathi lai, fan* kiai, fare kiS, or far? kie, to or for what?

why ?
Abl. ^5^t ^f foithi sd, from what ?

Gen. ^T«ftaT kathik, of what ?

Loc. ^T§t ** fraMi mS, in what ?

Plural wanting. Note the form of the Dative. This case

has many variations. I have noted fa? ^n hi la, faf ^f ki lai,

4rYw ki la, ^t |r ki lai, W*ft W fea^l Zff, ^r^t <?T fcaiM /a?'. *T ta«is

often written W^ lay or *n* lae, and instead of 3T#t kathi, we often

have ^ffaj kathi. Like the dative, the instrumental qftTkathf is

used to mean '

why ?
'
 —

102 Maithili Grammar. [§ 165.

Examples of this pronoun are :

T% ^iT^ ?if«T^ i.^\5 ki kahuba tanika gecine, what shall I say

(about) his wisdom ? (Vid. xxii. 2).

^tnr^i ^fTl" ^t ^ ap°nek buk a ri ki bhel, what has happened

to your goat ?

^t W^ ki chaik, what is it ?

f*^ V^J kia bhel, what has happened ?

f%^ ^fiTt % t^t^ kia kahau, he musah u , O Musahu, what have

you to say ?

f%^ f^^rrTT f%f% *ftf% ^r kie bidhata likhi mohi del, why
hath God written (it) for me t in my fate) P ( Vid. lvii. 1).

<*«u T Vftfzi ^I3^T W^ kathi m§ pdni Idel chdh, in what have

you brought the water ?

^vT^flTr ^"iT ^•r^ift kathi hamfira cor bana batchi, why do you

make me out a thief ?

*>f*j W9 W ^3^^ *flf% kathi hie kumsa patakaldha mohi,

why, Karhsa. didst thou dash me down ( Manbodh's

Harivamsa. i. 37).

<tfterr ^Kt ^rf«T W *TT^ wHnT %ir j'hofrd gldar kathi In

marad autar lele, Phot a ra, the jackal, why has a man
taken your form ?

WT «ff^ «P^ T?T f^T? ?TT«T A-?/o Arafta yianda mahura kie mana,

others {lit. some) said. 'Why does King Nanda agree P

'

(Manbodh. vii. 45^.

Indefinite Pronouns.

165. These are w^\ keo, anyone, someone ; f^w kich u , anv-

thing, something ; and *y* kaieh, several.

 —

Indefinite Pronouns.
»•
§ 168.]

various forms.
WT anyone, someone, appears under

I
166.

have noted M
l-eo,

to, ™ fcyo, and ^ tan. In old poetry we

sometimes meet %^ keJahu.

usually takes the form
167. When used as an adjective, it

«* taoarM A—, but we sometimes find ** to -sed

instead.

an adjective :-
The following are examples of its use as

lono nenn naif no hoy came.

«4t ^F *f* WIW
Hel,

5 M»o W*«tt«* phnl'utarimg, ,in

^ifT JZW* <***!#*

the garden of a certain householder.

** >*
«**r TF^ fctoo bate* man m§ andesfi
*tft * r ** «fff

do not have anxiety in your

mind about any-
mat' rakhi,

thing.

of the house.
se Aft'i ac/<
;
feaAir, no Mnsahar comes out

^ *TW % *r*fcT =rff fe««no bSi he har*kat*

want of
natf, there

anything.
is no

inconvenience for ( )

«*> ^ ^K «t« to opurb dhangak

man
lok, a man
an extraordinary kind.
of some

extraordinary kind, or some of

can refer to
be seen that when used as an adjective,
it
It will

inanimate objects as well as animate ones.

used as a substantive, it has an oblique form

16S. When
written *TO hah-ro. Its genitive is **T
«raffefn*«, often

fe«fc-r6. In poetry we sometimes find

a form TO hBhu instead

*[** kahnU. It is there-

of *TO5 kak'rah*, with a genitive

fore tb ns declined :
 —

104 Maithili Grammar. [§ 169.

Singular.

Norn. ^^t keo, SR^ft keo, WJ kyo, or ^TO^ff head, ' '

someone,
\ <*+<.«, kak'rah*. or *«Kfcj $," someone, or
Ace.
kak a rah r k§ '
anyone.
Inst. <*«*<C5J ^T kak a rah r' sd, by anyone, etc.

^T55 kal^rah^1 . or ^RCSJ ^ to anyone,

Dat.
7cak a rah z ke etc.

Abl. <*<*^5 ^f kak a rah r sa, '

from anyone, etc.

Gen. *«*<J kuk a ro, of anyone, etc.

Loc. «rmn,5| >i kak°rah r m§. '

in anyone, etc.

The plural is the same as the singular. ' <*f?RT fca/Knamay be

used for «*<tKa3 kak a rah z throughout.

Examples of the use of this pronoun are :•

^ft »T"fl ^T^^f ken naffi ael, uo one came.

WT ^T ^JJT«TT #^1^T ^^TfV fc//o ghara agana keao duari, some

(danced) in the courtyard of the house and some in the

doorway (Manbodh's Harivamsa, ii. 45).

fsfST «w ^ 3?<*<tf «rf^ JW? »(/a bhuja bala kakarahii nahi

ganae, (on account of) the strength of their own arms they
esteem no one (Manbodh. vi. 83).

f%W «rf? tlrdz ^TaJ *ff *l^T ib'efo« nahi tatahu kahti so bhelu

from that (jiua-ter nothing (i.e., uo help) came from

anyone (Manbodh, i. 7).

WT «rf% FTSf? 3TT^f ^^T %o nahi manae kahuka hafala, no

one heeds the remonstrances of anyone (Manbodh, iv. 17).
169. The indefinite pronoun inanimate is fw kick* or fa^
ktcch u . It means '
anything '
and ' something.' When it means
4
anything," the oblique form is the same as the nominative, but
 — —

§ 171.1 Indefinite Pronouns. 105

when it means '

something '
its oblique form is ^<*l kathu. We
therefore have the following declensions :

170. f%W kich u or

. fwr^ kicch u anything.

Nom. fare" kich u . anything.

Ace. f^fw aK hick* ke. anything.

Inst, fww *f J»cfc« s5, by anything.

Dat. fw* W kich u k§. to anything.

Abl. fc« £ fetcfe* sa, from anything.

Gen. f^rw^ff hichuk, of anything.

Loc. fww % kich u m§. in anything:.

171. fi*W kick*, or f%^ fo7vfc B something.

Xom. fajr^ kick", something.

\»

Ace. ^r?J ^T kathu hi. something.

Inst. '^TO W fcaifea so", by something.

Dat. ^T?I ijr kathu ke, to something.

Abl. WQ *T ifeaf&ti s«f, from something.

Gen. 3?*I^J kathiik. of something.

Loc. 3i*l *f farffcti ml. in something.

Examples of the use of this pronoun are :

^TrP? Trm H ^r^fft Tww Tf? W*ff o# gram me kak a ro kieh u nah*

chaik, in that village no one has anything.

'WW ^^fz tra"fW Trick* amot pathabihd. send (me) some

mango conserve.

^F <fteq WU H ^^f TtW^r o dukhadh kathu m§ dhail hotaik.

that medicine must he put into something.

 —

106 hlaithili Grammar. [§ 172.

172. The Indefinite pronoun <*9<* kaiek, some, several, is an

adjective, and is not declined. An example of its use is :

?fhr*;r sfi"^ 3W W* f%*srr? f^75^ toh a ra kaiek kathn sabh

sikhde diuh u I will teach

, you several matters.

Derivative Pronominal Forms.

173. The following table gives in a succinct shape the

various derivative pronominal forms. It explains itself, and
further comment is unnecessary: —
 107
§ 173.]
Derivative Pronominal Form*.

»4i

o fir
fr

P3

IF
15

dff

Iff

P3
'F
Iff ^

CS -U

^ 5
4w
 PART III.

CONJUGATION.

CHAPTER I.

Preliminary.

A. General Remarks.

174. The conjugation of the verb forms the most complicated

part of Maithill Grammar. Like the verbs of many partially
cultivated languages, it has few parts for which there are not
two or three optional forms. These are not local peculiarities,
but may often be used by the same speaker as his fancy or as
the rhythm of the sentence dictates. In many cases I cannot
find that they represent different shades of meaning.

175. Maithili verbs may conveniently be divided into the

two classes of Transitive and Intransitive. These differ in the

conjugation of the tenses formed from the past participle. In the

paradigms of the regular verb, the verb ^3^ dekhab, to see, will
be used as the example of a transitive verb, and the verb *&si<4

sOtab, to sleep, as the example of an intransitive verb. It will

be observed that in both these verbs the root-vowel is long, and
it must be carefully remembered that in the conjugation of all

such verbs, the root-vowel is liable to be shortened, under the

rules given in § 32 and ff. ante. It is most important to bear this

in mind, as the whole system of conjugation is full of it.

176. There is one exception to this rule of the shortened

antepenultimate, and this is that when ^ ai, or ^fr an, is final, it

counts as only one syllable (even when written WT ai. ^tf ae, or

W3 au, 'spgt ao, l'espectively) and not as two (see §§ 13, 33 »V) #

Thus under the general rule, we should expect the e in the form

%*§ dekhai, to be shortened ; but it is not. The reason for this

apparent irregularity is that in verbal forms a final $ ai always

 Nouns and Participles. 109
§ 179.] Moot. Verbal

represents an older *ff a h\ and a final U> au always represents

under the rule, counts only as
an older <*S ah-, each
one syllabled
for $** dekhah;
^ dekhai

and
of which,

in
is for ^ dekhaV, and *ft dekhau

both of these older forms the long e is

is

The apparent exception disappeai-s when ? ai or

quite regular.

*Y ceases to be final. Thus in ^? defchaik (for ^§f%*

dekhahik) and ^Ns dekhauk for fw« dekhahnk), the shortening

of the e to e is quite regular.

B. Boot. Verbal Nouns and Participles.

177. more convenient to deal with the finite tenses

It will be

after we have described the root

and the various verbal nouns
verb is the same as the
and participles. The Boot of every
non-honorific of the Old Present.
shortest form of the second person

Thus the 2nd pers. non-hon. Old Present of ^3* dekhab,

to see,

is ^3 dekh, which is also the root.

The Verbal nouns are three in number.

178.
adding ^ to the
The first verbal noun is formed by
'

(a)
'
5? The fiUal
root. Thus tf* dskhi the act of seeiug ^ See § * }
'

have
is often omitted in writingand pronunciation, so that we

^T dekh instead of ^ deW. Its oblique form is ^ dekhai or

dBkhd, and the rules for its declension together with examples
%4
irregular
are given in § 80 ante. Some roots ending in vowels are
noun.
in the formation of the first verbal

The second verbal noun is usually formed by adding

179. (6)
generally employed as the in-
„, ab to the root (see § 67) and is

finitive : thus ^£*n*r

dekhab,

dekh'ba
uu,
the act of

and the rules

au«
seeing, to see.

for its declension

Its ob-

hque form is ^.<a«tr aetin

given in 81 ante.
together with examples are §
'

^T form their infinitives in v,

Verbs whose roots end in fl

we have srr^ jaeb, to go.

eb. Thus from *rr jtl,

ob, also form then- infinitives

Those whose roots end in *i*
of the 1 b of the root. Thus
in TK eb, but with the elision
 —

HO Maithili Grammar. [§ 180.

from the root vri pnb, obtain, we have the infinitive ^13^ pdeb,
to obtain. In poetry we often find ^fa ob instead of 31^ eb in

this case. Thus TTf^ffa pnob.

Those verbs whose roots end in ^ or t f° rm tne infinitive

1
h
in ^*r ab or sj«r ub. Thus, f% si, sew, makes siab 01
fa^ift

f%^ stub.

Those verbs whose roots end in ^f 7?, form the infinitive

in sg^- ab or ^ ib. Thus ^ cu, drip, makes "^^ ctitifc, or ^T^

cuib, to drip.

Those verbs whose roots end in ift 0, form the infinitive in

?& ab or 3^ e&. Thus the root ifr dho, wash, makes ifi^ dhoab
or tTi"^ dhCeb, to wash.

Irregular are :

</ ^ft fco, become, Infinitive ^,7^ Aoe6 or \^ Aaafc.

v^ ^ de give, Infinitive ^ deb.

\/ % le take, Infinitive ^^ lib.

This verbal noun is derived from the Sanskrit future passive

participle in r?5j lavija, and is hence employed in the foimation
of the future tense.

180. (c) The third verbal noun is formed by adding ^r^f al

to the root (see § 63). thus f^^r dekhul, the net of seeing. The
oblique form is "<*3^rr dekh"^', and the rules for its declension
together with examples are given in § SI, ante. This verbal noun
is generally the same as the past participle, but when the latter
is irregular the verbal noun sometimes takes the regular form.

Thus the ^/ oTf /«, go, has its past participle (irregular) a.**

ge', but its third verbal noun is 5Ti¥^f jael. From this example
it will be seen that (compare the second verbal noun), it ends
sometimes in ?$r el instead of ^^l al. The rule is the same as in

the case of ^ ub.

 —

§ 180.] Root. Verbal Nowis and Farticiples. Ill

The instrumental or locative of this verbal noun (or perhaps

of the past participle) in ^g^T al, is often used absolutely to

indicate continued action. Thus :

— 93? JRTif^ jTfalfVf*r Trq t^t

Hrf^i^t ^W ^f% oftT^f^T eh gam r r' x

goc.rin* mdih par mafkuri
dhaile col* jaichal 1
, a foolish milkmaid, by placing a curd-pot

on her head, was going along. That is to say, she was going along
with a cui^d-pot on her head.
Similarly we have from the y/ % le, take, ^^ «r;"?^ lele jaeb,
to take away with one, ^% Wi"P^ lele neb, to bring with one. In

such common phrases »T n is often substituted for ^r I, so that

we have €rif wr?^ lene j<~'eb or even ^>f ^nJ3" nen§ Ceb. These

forms are different in meaning from forms such as ^r «Ti"?^

lai j'eb ( Hindi ^" oTfcrr le jfina) to take away or ^r Wl"?^ k*t fob

(Hindi ^ 'sgfflT le Ctnn) or ^Tt'Tf ln?b (Hindi ^Ti'«rr h'mn) to

bring. They correspond rather to the Hindi f%ir 3f;«rr liyej&na,

to take away with one.

Examples of such forms are :

fflTr ^?Tf^ <RT*; %*1 ^5TrW htnnnro samnda naihara lene j"hu,

take away with you a message for my father's house also

(Vui. lxxix. 10).

^fCTf JTh^rT ^flf^ ^"T ^ni«T *5T ah'ra goar sam'~d nenS abait
chaik, Ahini Goar is bringing tlie news with him.
<*r *rpf ^?%^ is" ... ^% m*j ir wr qf ^\f* ^tnft t^
lai jnh sul"hes ke ... kaie bus ke pha/hn suit p (hi od r r' deb,
take away Salhes ... with a split piece of green bamboo flay

his back. ( ^fq qx" bas ke is not a Maithill form. It is

borrowed, ns often hippens in folktales, from nnother <iiu-

lect, viz., Bliojpuri. The correct Maithili would be qT^qi

ba\;ak or ^T€ %T 65s ker.)

W^X <^*ft ^T.W <TqTT frfHT^r '<$T*f ^<<?t jakar bedull Inel

takar ti>i~i kalian S'n"khi, how fair must the woman who
owns the spangle which you brought !
 —

112 Maithili Grammar. [§ 181.

181. The Noun of Agency, corresponding to the Hindi

noun in ^r^H" icala, is formed by adding ^^% bah or ^r^

wah to the root. Thus ^srer^ dekh*b&h or <£^r^ dekhfiwHh,

a seer, one who sees. See § 72.

182. The Present Participle is formed by adding ^r

ait, often written ^Xff "^ or <5ff*nT ay it, to the l'oot (see § 64).

Thus i^3«T dekhait, <(<sl<<T dekhait, or «£<slfa<1 dekhayit, seeing.

The $ ai of this termination is very unstable. Thus with verbs

whose roots end in a long vowel, the termination becomes ?7r it,

as in «TH^T jait, going ; 'TT'^fr hoait, or TT?^ hoit, becoming. The

\/ f% si, sew, has fojfrd siait, fw3tf nut, and f%T7T siit, but */ -ft

pi, drink, makes fa^ff pibait, just as ^/ *JTW pa 6, obtain, has

Tj^fT pabait. The v/ ^ rfe, give, and the ^/ % le, take, have,

respectively, ^?r daz'£ and ^T«T fot£ for their present participles.

In the Past Conditional tense, which is formed from this participle,

the 3*!T ait is, as a rule, similarly weakened. Thus ^P«act^

dekhitah", (if ) I had seen.

183. By adding the oblique termination f% h' to the weakened

present participle we get a form called the " Adverbial

Participle." Thus ^ftgtiPtf dekhitah*, on seeing, in the act of

seeing, immediately on seeing, equivalent to the Hindi ^RT-^Pt

dekh a le-hi. The following are examples of the employment of
these participles :

^•IfT f<3«1irf ^H^T kauait ( ^/ ^fl«r kau) khijait (^/ #faf

^T#t
khij) dhami del, Dhami came weeping and feeling angry
(note the shortening of the antepenultimate vowel).

WCr ^Rf%^ ^«T ^ifw-'qsr ?W Tg; ^I^W hamfira sab a hik

dekhait swdmi-dhan vrtha nast hoich, in our presence [lit. (in

the) seeing of us] our master's property is being destroyed.

€Wt Tffl % tjfTfjf't vih^ TFSfh WS^\ srfk Ji^r dina ram ke

dharitah 1
bhadrik ehunl kehuni chut* gel, immediately on
(Phot a ra's) seizin? Dina Ram, Bhadri's knees and elbows
were freed.
 Boot. Verbal Nouns mid Participles. H3
§ 184.]

184. The Past Participle is usually formed by adding *m

68). When the root ends in a rowel,
al to the root (see §

or in srre 6b, the vowel of the suffix is liable to change, much as the

termination sg«r ab of the second verbal noun is changed. Thus :

—
Verbs whose roots end in ^ a, add W el. Thus v/ wr
ghab a ra, to be agitated, past participle ^irn^ ghab a rael.

Verbs whose roots end in ^r*r ab, add ^t^f ol. Thus, from

„y xfff pub, obtain, 'qri^t^T pool.

Verbs whose roots ending tort i, add ^<3 al or W ul.

Thus from </ f% si, sew, f<=rw rial or f%W riul, from ^/ ft pi,

drink, Tt^^f piul.

Verbs whose roots end in ^ u take ^^ al or X*3 & Thus,

from */ ^ cu, drip, ^*r cual or 'gi^r cuil.

Thus,
roots end in *5T o take ^<?I a/ or "^f
eZ.
Verbs whose

from y/ rf\ tZ/i5, wash, tfl^ra dhoal or ^n?*T dhoel.

:—
'
Six verbs have irregular past participles as follows

v/ ^TT fc ur, do Past Participle ^ tail

v/ ^T d/iar, seize, place ., ^^f dhail.

y *T mar, die „ *^ war«Z or yx& muil.

y/ ^ r?e, give ., *^ ^- c

y/ % le, take ., ^r lei.

v
/ ^?r 7i5, become » **W fc^e*.

The past participle w? 6M/, added to another past participle,

imparts to it more of the character of an adjective, and, at the

same time, adds completeness to the idea. Thus, WH? *^, sutal

bhel, asleep ; t7 ^ *^ dekhal bliel, seen,

employed in con-
The instrumental of the past participle is
tenses.
jugation to form the perfect and pluperfect
in literature of
have not come across many good iustances
I
It of course,
the use of the past participle as an adjective.
is,

15
 —

114 Maithili Grammar. [§ 186.

extremely commonly employed in the formation of the tenses. The

following may be taken as examples of the adjectival use :
—
?3f 3TTfa TTTTf%*TT *TPf^f mTM *>T % fkwfa WF$, ek garib

parosiya jarak mural ijltar sS nikas 1

ael, a poor neighbour,
struck of (i.e. by) cold, came forth from (his) house.

"?U ^RTir^T '<*V«n ^^*9 "^fllfsj ^ SW^Rf, ek Jcanyal kono pahu-

cal atith} sd puchalak, a beggar once asked from a -certain

arrived pilgrim (i.e. a pilgrim who had arrived).

185. The Conjunctive Participle corresponds to the Hindi

^1 ^C dekh kar, having seen, and is properly the same in form

as the first verbal noun. Thus. ^^3 dekh 1
(or ^S dekh), having

seen. This is the form we generally find in poetry or proverbs,

but in the modern language it is usual to add the suffixes sf ke.

^T kat, ^T ka, or ^T3f kaika. Thus \r<3 ^ dekh 1

ke. ^~fr§ ^T dekh 1

hat, ^psl % dekh 1

ka, or ^"ft§ ^rar dekh 1 kaika, having seen. A
poetical form of W ka is ^rf" kah". thus S"fa ^jt dub' kah", having

dived. The following verbs have irregular conjunctive participles.

Only the short form is given in each case. The suffixes can be
added as usual :

»/ WK kar, do Conj. Part, ^rfr kar 1 , if he, ^kai, or WH kay.

^r? Jcae, ^r ka.

v/ ^T dhar, seize. ^fr dhar 1

, *} dhai, or V?T dhay. W*
place. dhae, t$ dhd.

</ ~%\ a, come .. ^Tf^ ab' ^fTT

%
, Si, or ^HTQ ay.

^/ \ de, give .. ^ de, ^ dai,^*I day,^ dae.^T dei.

X da.

^/ % le, take ., ^ le, "% lai, ^r*T lay, W9 lae, ^X lei-

i
7 o

+/ TT ho, become ., ^sT^ hoi, « bhai, vi*T bhay, WJF &feae.

C. Finite Tenses.

186. Gender. — As in the case of nouns, the Maithili verb

has two genders, Masculine and Feminine. Feminine forms are,
§ 187.] Long and Redundant Forms. 115

as a rule, only used when the subject is a feminine animate being.

The firstperson never shows any distinction of gender, nor do
those forms (see § 188, below) in which respect is shown to the
object. It follows that only those forms of the 2nd and the 3rd

persons, whose objects are non-honorific (Groups I and II below),

ever change for the feminine gender. Even in these persons there

are many forms which are of common gender.

187. Long and Redundant Forms. -Verbs have short,

long, and redundant forms just like nouns. have not discovered
I

any difference in their meaning. The long form is most often

made by adding 3* ai to the short form, and the redundant form
by adding <* k to the long form. Thus we have (short form) ^^t
dekhaicht, I see, of which the long form is ^?W$ dekhaichiai, and

the redundant form is ^IfwNf dekhaichiaik. Similarly, we have

(short form) ^^p*i dekha lak, he saw, long form ^**rar dekhal a kai,

redundant form ^Ttnj-^i dekhata kaik. In some forms of the second

person the long form is made by adding ^r^ ah or ^ ah v and the

redundant form by adding ^^ °hdk or ^f^^R a htik with varia-

tions of spelling, which will appear in the paradigms. Thus,

f* dekh, thou seest, long form ^4^ dekhdh or ^W dekhah", re-

a
dundant form f *a^ff drkh a hdk or ^3^tf dtkh hitk.
These long and redundant forms are confined to those groups
(vide § 188).
of inflexions in which the object is non-honorific
redundant form for the third person
Even then, there is no long or
They are thus confined to the
when the subject is honorific.
following cases.

First and second persons— Subject non-honorific, object non-

non-hono-
honorific (Group I), or subject honorific, object
rific (Group II).
non-honorific, object non-honorific
Third person— Subject
(Group I).

These groups are described below in § 188.

Examples of the employment of these long and redundant

forms are as follows :

—
1st Person. Short Form :—*T** *«rar %* ^WH, rtUIrab
 — :

J 16 Muithili Grammar. [§ 188.

dhanukha, deb khasay. I will strike him (with an arrow)

fi'om the bow, I will fell him.

Long Form: —-pff ifTTTf *TTT*r *JWt ^ ^ter*T, eh

1
beriyn

mai a bai, dhar°tl debai lot^ij, at this time I will strike him,
I will cause him to roll upon the ground.
Redundant. Form : — rfi f% ST.fT iP^^J v^\ ?g?jrsr. trh' thBm
debuik dhunt khasPy, at that place we shall set {lit. cause to
full) our fire (on the ground).

3rd Person. Short I'orm — vfw ^r^f ^«rt, T^T fwfff Ji^T tfftrcr*

e/i; cal a be pahar bi'

1
gel, after travelling a few {Lit. one)
half -hours, a watch (of the day) passed.

Long Form : — rf'st'T Jl<*f JilT^T x ;

5T*5'5!jr, tukhun gelai Gagua h<-ja-

mud, then Gangu the barber went.

Redundant Form. — ^rnr <^ff ^nf% W^T^f WgT«?t ^1% <hT^ ^

^ra^ff fr^ ["^fj sof ?i?Jci sfjlal 1
chain ik phekuni, kace nid me
ufh a laik cihry, Phekuni was sleeping in seven sleeps (at
once), and in drowsiness she started up.

188. Number. and H>n<~rific f>rms

Non-hTi^rific —
Before going further it must be explained once for all that the
Maithili verb does not change for number. There is no distinc-
tion between singular and plural. On the other hand, there is a
distinction between the non-honorific and honorific forms (which,
indeed, by derivation, are respectively singular and plural). In
the finite tenses there are thus four groups of forms for each
person, according as the subject or as the object is treated hono-
rifically.

These four groups are :

(1) Subject non-honorific ; object non-honorific. E.g., he

(a slave) or it sees him (a slave) or it.

(II) Subject honorific ; object non-honorific. E.g., he (a

kinur) sees him (a slave) or it.

(III) Subject non-honorific ; object honorific. E.g , he (a

slave) or it sees him (a king).
(IV) Subject honorific ; object honorific. E.g., -he (a king)
sees him (a king").

Except in the case of the 3rd person of group IV, all tlie
 117
§ 188.1" Non-honorific and Honorific forms.

object is honorific)
forms of groups 111 and IV (in which the
I and II (in which
it is
are made from the long forms of groups
the final vowels when
non-honorific) respectively, by lengthening

necessary, and adding f^ nh'.

there is no long
In the case of the 3rd person of group IV,
which to make it. It is
form of the 3rd person of group II from
3rd person of group II,
therefore made from the short form of the
formation of the other persons
in a manner similar to that of the
of group IV.
Examples of these third and fourth groups are :
—
,
1st person
,
: long f~
i m ,„„„,,„(,
form, groups
, Tl nnd n,
ana II z^fw?
s. ai<*x dekhaichiai,

^VSpf$ dekhaichiainh1
groups III and IV,
.

I see ;

$%&g dekhaichah", you

2nd person: long form, group I,

see ;
group I II, ^*I<*??R dekhaichahvnh .

^Ifw* dekhaichiai, you

2nd person: long form, group II,

drlchaichiainh*.
(honorific) see; group IV, ^ff^f*
3rd person: long form, group 1, ^W dehhaichai, he sees;

<n-oup HI, ^it^ dekhaichainh*.

K*wfl dekhaichath*, he
3rd person: short form, group IT,

(honorific) sees; group IV, ^^f^ dekhaichathinh*.

"
the words " slave
In the above explanations I have employed
and honorific forms
and " kincr " to illustrate the non-honorific
distinction is not nearly
respective^, but, in common use, the
so marked as this. As a practical guide, we may say that human
forms, unless they are
beings are generally referred to by honorific
people, slaves, etc. On the
distinctlv inferior, such as low-caste
animals are almost,
other hand, inanimate things and irrational
alwavs referred to as non-honorific.
In regard to Groups HI and IV, I 'have said that the object

The object may be the direct object or may be

must be honorific.
effect on the verbal form.
the indirect object. Either has the same
the following examples,
Thus, in the second, fourth and sixth of
object is indirect
—
of the use of these forms, the honorific
:

First person (Groups I and II) and second person (Group

II) (long forms) (as will be seen
from § 190, these three
 .

118 Maithili Grammar. [§ 188.

are always the same in form). -?f% f fVqr *TIT^ ^T^t ^

^rt^f^T, eh* b<-riyn mara bai, dhar a tl debai lofay, this time
I will strike him and .cause him to roll over (on) the
ground.

First person (Groups III and IV) and second person

(Group IV). W wirrerr ^wt^v «s*w ^ ^wf*?, *•&*
masala Lach a mi Dai ke «p a ne cuppe dt-bainU 1
,
jour Honour
will give all the spices privately to (the respected)
Lakemi Dai.

Second person (Group I) (long form). qn«r f^r % ^*T

TT5" qt-^s W*Fra", £<?« d««a Are ufefaY fcoai kahah u bujhay, ex-
plain and tell in wliat direction he is coming.
Second person (Group III), ^?i«r ^t ^*jrr fawr % qt ^agfa

sftfil^rr «T(f , iTa/w *SWrf Amma Nir a so ke kuh a hunh i Joyiija

jai, say to (the respected) Kalfi Sada and mother Nirso,
'
go to Jogiya.'

Third person (Group I) (long form). sffaiTr vf* ?TT^

SSTfC^f ^f% <* 3^ ^5J« ^*i4f, oW" eft* far a /;| ghab a -
rnel <lekh' ka ek manusya k<ihal a l;ai, seeing him (the fool |

thus agitated a certain man said to him —

Third person (Group III). *ft?r^t ^fW^f^ iff* TT, «H^f
f^Wt I W\ 3P?^.*rN «f "% *PQ ^^ ^ f^, mon a s?
kithala think 1 (Group IV), '»a/»» huu, arji likhaichi.'
kahal a kainh\ Ha ham a io .-ahi kai dia, the (respected )

scribe I said (politely) to unknown and respected

(the
stranger), 'it is not (what you think it is, -huu not hui.
see § lJl), I am writing a petition.' He (i.e. the stranger
who was an impudent fool) said (to the respected scribe).
;
then please to put my signature also.'

Third person (Group II) (short form). %f% ^»r VTT Wlff

^rfer, deh 1
dunu bhai chor* delath', the two (famous)
brothers (the heroes of the story) left their bodies.
Third person (Group IV). <*[<? w^l ffarr wft % ^¥ <^ffipHJ ,

Kala Sada D'/na Bhadri ke baisai del a tMnh*, (the respect-

 119
§188.] Non-honorific and Honorific form*.

(the two famous brothers) Dina

ed) Kala Sada made
and Bhadri sit down.
occurs above under 'Third person
Another example
(Group III).'

with transitive verbs.

189. So far we have been dealing only
object, and, in their case,
Intransitive verbs have only an indirect
IV rather lax. They are, of course,
the use of Groups III and is

is honorific, but they are also

employed when the indirect object
and when the subject,
found when the verb has no object at all

Thus -
not the object is honorific. :

<m* JTJir-^t ^ ^I^T^N, takhan Ganga-ji kahai lagal"-

(the holy) Ganges.
thinh\ then they began to say to

^rT f^T «3f* W$ ^*rf* WW *ft »tWH bahut din

ahft h.k*ni takaja naif karaicMainh1 ,

many
bhelainh*
have pressed
days (have) passed (since) you (honorific)
the money he owes).
(the respected Bhola Sahu) (for

two examples it will be seen that the

In the former of these

honorific object is indirect. In the second example the close

honorific subject andean
connection with a sentence having an
responsible for the form of «tT|^
direct object as well, is
honorific

bhelainh 1 .

subject are
Instances of intransitive verbs with an honorific
In
much more common, especially when the subject is plural.
these
fact we have here a survival of the old plural signification of
forms (see the first paragraph_of § 188).

Thus :
—
mar* gelainh'' (Group
ffar wft TfT liwfa, Din* Bhadri
Dina and Bhadri are dead. Here, if the verb were
III),
would be non-honorific, as the form
transitive, the subject
belongs to Group III. In an intransitive verb it is

honorific plural.

WTf% ^TW wfS t W: f%r^Tr ^Sr, jSh sa

1
nam calainh'

kiriya karah, perform our funeral rites that our

se hamar
(famous) names may be current (i.e. endure).
120 Mailhffi Grammar. [§ 191.

kono dhanik k§ did beta rahainh* (Group III). Jakhni

liunalt b^p mar' gel" think'', to a certain (respected) rich
man there were two (respected) sons. When the (res-
pected) father of (the respected) them died

190. Person. — Tt is in denoting the persons that the com-

plex character of the Maithili verb is most manifest. There are
many forms for each person. The following is a brief sketch of
personal terminations.

In the first case we must note that the first person is the
same whether the subject is honorific or not ; also that the second
person honorific is always the same as the first person. Thus
^SW\ dehhaichl means I or we (non-honorific), or I or we (honori-
fic) see, or thou (honorific) seest, or you (lionoi-ific) see.

191. The rule of attraction.— In the case of some of the

personal terminations, there is an important rule to be applied.
It is called the ride of attraction, and is peculiar to Bihari. We
have seen that when the object of a verb is honorific certain
special forms are used. Similarly, there are special forms when
the object is in the second person. These forms only occur in
the case of forms with a non-honorific object whose terminations

contain the letter ^ ai, and are made by changing ^ ui to ^t an.

Thus <^t§^I\ delck a lalc, \t$*,^ dehkal kai, or ^ig^^f* deklial kaik,
a a

he saw, but ^^raf dekk a lak, "<^r^ra^" dekh al a kau, or ^m^^^ dekka-
l°kauk, he saw you. The relationship of the second person with
the object need not be very direct, as will be seen from the fourth
of the following examples :
—
gTTTT s T«rr 3i Wll^d*, Mur a ta nena ke mdral a kai,'Miirtsi struck
the boy.

?JTrIT rTt^Tr 3T fllT^^, Mur a ta toh^ra k§ maral a kau, Murta

struck you.

ssTfafTr Jir^t *T ^Tl«T *H^T W, <>k a ra garl m§ Icon mal chat, what
goods are there in his cart ?

*Tr^Tf IP^t H ^JT«T «[^T W\ toh'rn garl me kon mal ckau, what
goods are there in your cart ?
 —

§ 192.] little of Attraction. 121

Note further, as to spelling, that the £ ai is quite frequently

written ^ nt, ^"5 ae or even 'sgq" ay, so that instead of W chai in

the penultimate example we may have ST cfo«, *? c7me or SF^

cft«y. Similarly instead of ^> uu, we may have *r^ a« or qftt ao.

Thus instead of «t chau we sometimes see written w^ chau or W^T

^> au terminations are contractions of

chao. Historically, these

^^ak u and we sometimes come across this spelling, especially

,

in poetry. Thus for f^ dian, let me give you, I have met fsr^tS

diah", which has the same meaning.

192. he remembered that the 2nd person honorific
It will
is always the same as the first person. With regard to this
there is one reservation, viz., that the rule of attraction does not

apply to the second person. Thus ^snwt dekhaichiau, means only

you '
does not mean you ' honorific) see you. In
'
I, or we. see ; it ( '

the second person the termination ^ au is only used to refer to the

subject. Thus in the Git Dlna-hhadrl (149). we hare aWt sftfw

where the village
*TST WTj.ii6fl« Jogiyn jahU yaw, you will go to
is

person ^sft jntbuu would mean ' I will go

of Jogiya. In the first

to jour (house, or some such w rd).' Moreover 'you see you'

would be an impossible idea in Mail hill. We should have to

say 'you see (your) self,' which is a different thing altogether

follows that
and does not bring in the rule of attraction. It thus
only applies to the first and third persons.
the rule of attraction
Examples are :

^sf%^ dekhHnnk, I or we
First, person, ^Tw$ dekhHiai,

^ff%^ dekh°!uiuk, or we
saw;^f^ JekhHiau or I

saw you.
non-honorific subject, non-honorific object
Third person,
VSv^S dehhal'kuik, he or they
^jPW Jek/,al°h.i or

dekhal'kau or V3*Psta d, khal'hiuk, he or

saw ; g<aWl
they saw you.

I have very rarely come across forms like ^a^ftf* dekhal*-

kavnh* (from ^wf* dekhal'katnh'), he (non-honorific) saw you

 '

122 Maithili Grammar. [§ 193.

(honorific) (Group III), but I doubt if they were correct. I have

*
never met such in conversation. At the same time it may be
noted that in the present conjunctive there is a form in w\f*% annh 1
,

which is peculiar to this tense, and which has no special reference

to the 2nd person. It has nothing to do with the rule of attrac-

tion.

On the other hand, just as a redundant form is obtained by

changing 3? ai to $m aik, so a redundant form is quite commonly

made by changing ^ au to ^rfaf auk. Thus the redundant form

of ^*3f%3ft" deklt a liau is ^rf%^W dekhHiauk. as in the above

examples.

193. Other Personal Terminations. — Before taking up the

o-eneral aspect of this question, we may notice the frequently

occurring terminations ^ffej nth and ^f=^ anh

1 1
. These are peculiar

in the third person in the second group, in which the subject only

is honorific. In the tenses formed from the past participle, sqfq ath 1

is used ordy with transitive verbs, but ^f*? anli* is not subject

to this restriction.

In the cnse of intransitive verbs, we have ^r^ uh, instead of

^-f«j ath*, in the tenses formed from the past participle. But Wl^f
ah is not confined to the 3rd person. In the 3rd person it is

honorific like ^gfVj ath*, but it can also be employed fur the second

person non-honorific. Thus ^fT^lta sntHah means either 'he or

they (honorific) slept.' or else 'thou or you (non-honorific)

slept.

^{^ ah. is also used honorifically in the third person of the

future of both transitive and intransitive verbs.

^W ah has a feminine form f^ ih or if% Hi' .

Thus $tlw^

suf'lih or ^JrT^Pi'f? suPlih*, she or they (fem.) (honorific) slept or

thou or you (fem. non-hon.) slept, ^fsj ath and ^f^f anh'
1
have
no special feminine forms. They are of common gender.
 ] -

1 2^
§ 193. Other Personal Terminations.

the use of these

give the following examples
of
We may
terminations :
—
^[•^ anh*.

participle)— *faf*
Past Conditional (formed from present
(intransitive),
^rr^ ^TrrN *l**rr ^T^fr, a«to«fe«

dnrdgaman karaitanh* (transitive) jamaiya jUjar* (if)

(the two famous^ sons-in-law had come, they would have

duragaman at Janjan.
performed (the ceremony of)

Past Indicative (formed from past participle)—^?

^^ ftWT
Dma Bhudil kailanK
«ft Wf^ 5* VIT, bar pfc'jhatt
great indignity did the two
(transitive) dunn bhni.
(to me).
(famous) brothers, Dina and Bhadri

Perfect (formed from past participle)—^

^rN ^t* *

f ««* W W, p*er afloii*1 actf

and Bhadri) have
se cfatt-Ia* % sabfc, the

people saw (that) (the respected Dina

come back.
often written as a suffix,
In old poetry, this termination is

initial * Thus, we have in

without the disappearance of the
a.

Manbodh's Haribans — :

ViT* *** «S^-^ *TT, kanaka muknta jhalahda-anhi

diadem gleamed in the doorway.

divara, the golden
^f*Janijhnpatala-a?dnboja bateri, as
^ft -Xn^-^fH^
a falcon swooped upon a quail
termination suffixed to
In the old poetry we even find this
the same
the termination ** as in the following passage from
*W
poem :
—

Kahu khana nacathi gabathi gita.

Khaitaha-anhi se paralae bita.

sometimes singeth
(The child Krsna) sometimes danceth and
he will eat (transitive future), a
whole age
songs, (if)
 — — —

124 Maithill Grammar. [§ 193.

passeth away (i.e., an nge used to pass even in getting

him away from his play to eat).
So we have it added to the termination ^fsj ath*, in the
following from the same :

^TWfa-'^N' rrf «^WT ^*T, pucha/hi-anhi tail bhadnbn kahaba,

if he. (Krsaa) ask yon, then you will say that it is an
unlucky day.
^•ftT athK

Old Present (formed from the root) :

*

srrfsr *nrrr: i ^r -mum mr^i ii^rf^ i

Kanak Dhnml ke kahihaunh bujhriy, dunu befik kahihaunh 1 je

1

koh a bar karath' (transitive) tuiyar, dunu jam ay mural

gelainh 1
,

Tell and explain to (the respected) Kanak Dhnmi. Tell him

that the two (respected) sons-in-law for whom he (the
respected one) is preparing the marriage bowers of his
two daughters, have been slain.

^ T
^^ r 5tar ^ "^f^ ^Harr, Kalii Sada baithd rahuth*
r (in-
transitive ) dar a b~'ja (the respected) Kala Sada was
(lit. remains) seated at his doorway.

Past indicative (formed from past participle) :

W* «£•£ «TT sflff t*rfa, deh'> dunu bhai ckor* delath\ the

two (famous) brothers left their bodies

^T^ ah. Third person honorific.

Future Indicative (h-ansitive or intransitive): —TPSfr 'HrH ^r

3r?rrta ^n?t <^T sif* *rra% roja Bhim Sain kah a tah hal,

ham nah* jnni, Raja Bhim Sen will tell (transitive) the

affair, we do not know.

^nf? «TT^ STifff fl T^rfT^ # ^VW W ^pfif%, jnh 1

tarah jot 1
m§rah°tah vpny ke deb°hhih\ you Avill arrange so that
se
they may remain (intransitive) in caste,
§ 194.] Tenses. 125

Past Indicative (only intransitive) :

— W^fav ^EflTT ^r^^r H Jr^TP?

arff, Bhadr'ik ayu Sallies bhai ge'ah flinrh

1
, before Bhadri

(the famous) Sallies took his stand.

Feminine examples are :

— ^"il ^fl ^TT^ft'? 5JT5T*T wfr ^Tn;

5T*r^?N' ^SQTTsrr ^^r^rft, deye deye cal a lih, jojan bhar* jai
jum a lih
ap a na phu', a tvnrj
, step by step she went, having
gone a full, league she arrived at her garden.

**r#to W3^ ^f<T ^S^tff ft«IT ^STfaf irrr f^fre, Dhamik subad

sun ufhHih* Dlnn

1
Bhadrlk mai cihriy, hearing Dhami's

voice, the mother of Dma and Bhadri started up.

Second person non honorific : ^ft*T JT*? 'TTSf ^ *jrT^n^ 1?2^rfT,

kaun guru paral je suflah khafbfir*, what calamity has

befallen (you) that you are sleeping on your bed ?

194. Tenses. The tenses of the Maith.il! verb are the same
as in Bengali, and are conjugated very similarly in their main
principles.
We may divide them into —
(a) — Tenses formed from the root.
(b)— The Future.
(c) — Tenses formed from, the Present Participle.
(d) — Tenses formed from the Past Participle.
The first three classes ai'e conjugated in the same way whether
a verb is transitive or intransitive ; but the tenses formed from
the past participle are conjugated differently according to whether
the verb is transitive or intransitive. In this respect, we may
note that the verb substantive is treated as intransitive.
The following is a list of the more usual tenses :
—
(a) (1) Old Present Indicative
(2) Present Conditional
(3) Imperative
formed from the root.

(b) (4) Future Indicative

of mixed formation.
126 Maithili Grammar. [§ 196.

(c)(5) Past Conditional

(6) Present Indicative
(7) Imperfect Indicative
formed from the present participle.

(d) (8) Past Indicative

(9) Perfect Indicative
(10) Pluperfect Indicative
formed from the past participle.

195. I now proceed to give the personal terminations of

these tenses in the case of regular verbs whose roots end in

consonants. When a root ends in a vowel, the addition of the

termination causes some anomalies which will be discussed under
the head of Vocalic Roots in Chapter 1Y. Similarly, there are a
few irregular verbs which will be specially dealt with in

Chapter V.
Some of the examples which I give of the various termina-
tions, are instances of these
anomalous formations. I had to do
this when no other examples were available. In such cases I have
invariably drawn attention to the fact, or have given a reference
to the section where the anomaly is dealt with.
When there are two or more forms in use for one person of
one group or section of a group, I put the one most commonlv
employed first. The order of forms in the following paradigms
has nothing to do with" derivation. In fact, the oldest forms,
being seldom employed, usually come last. For instance, the
termination iak* of the long form of the first person, Croups I
and II with the object in the second person, of the Old Present,
is certainly the original of the termination iau. But I put tan first
because it is the one commonly met with. Iah u is seldom heard,
and the third termination given in the paradigms, id, only occurs
in poetry. Unless feminine forms are specially given, all forms
are of common gender.
196. The three tenses formed from the root, the Old —
Present, the Present Conditional, and the Imperative, are all —
really variants of one tense. Custom has, however, ordained
slight variations in the conjugation according to the use to which
the tense is put. It will be seen (§ 201) that this tense is also
employed as a future.
§ 196. Old Present. 127
128 Maithili Grammar. [§ 196.

In the above, forms which are chiefly employed

in poetry are marked
with an asterisk Besides these w» may mention a tiori-honoriflc first, person
lingular in 6 occasionally used by the vulgar, and an
old form of the second
person in osi, round in Vidyiipafci. Thus: —

3^^f% «p<t ^aT purufcoA' bruirffl suriy, in the East I worship the sun.

fflW^ M«H eF^rW Wfl TUiT "irgf-vwda punka karaxi agu tdjt'r, with paste
of musk dost thou anoint (thy) limbs Viil. xii. 2)

As examples of the use of this tense, we may quote the

following :
—
First Person : wfr f^n&PS frTWr^ xrrf>T, marl jrifisa piabahu
pfini, I die of thirst, give me water to drink ^Vid.
xii, 2).

^I*T KrV? wf% ^ff ^wwf*T wf«f, a/a (for a/a) dekhtai
sakhi buri annmani saui, to-day, friend, I see her
very melancholy (Vid. xxxiv, 1).

^T^*n «T STM^sY ^^T ^3"y[T, kuhiyo na janiau ( K/ jan)

pnca udhnr, never do we know (of) borrowing or
taking (things) on credit from you.
^rV^ <J^ ^<nr WW W(*r, d kind tua aparuba sabha soja,
I see thee arrayed in wondrous raiment (Vid. xii, 1).

<^m JIW ^faiNi, Duuri g

r
m suniaik, I hear (the nameof)
the village Dauri.

Second Person —
(I have not come across any instance of the
:

second person of this tense used in literature There are

examples of this person in the Present Conditional, and
in the Imperative.)

Third Person : sfnt W/r? 3>t -r^TT 3T ^fit, nahi nuhl kare
nayana dhara lore, she says '
no, no.' and tears flow from
her eyes (Vid. xxviii. 5).

wrwfa rTi^r f^w fq^ wit i ^ w?r ^ <s^ vx ^rerrx: snjani

tnkujibana. thika sara, je mum dai karu para vp-iknra,
O friend, behold, his life is precious, who willingly ren-
dereth assistance toothers (Vid. iii, 3).

tos ^fx ^S fa^rrr *r ^rwr«T ?r wf# wtT^ jitw, Rnhu duri

basil niaro na ribirfhi, t§ nahz karathi garnse, Rahu (the
§ 197.] Old Present. 129

demon of eclipse) (i.e., her hair) dwelleth afar off, and

doth not approach (the sun and moon, i.e., her eyes), and
therefore he doth not eclipse them (Vid. xiv, 8).

^f^^fr <T^ «T3f W^J WfTPT, katala taru jaka Tchasu araraya, she
falls screaming like a severed tree (Man. ii, 52).

vi«rf^ fV'qwffi", bhanaht Bidyapati, saith Vidyapati ( Vid.

passim).

^TT3T WT3J 'ST^t ^T VTW mw ^T *TTT, ogu agu doll calai, pachu
pachu dunu bhai, in front go the litters (and) behind the
two brothers.
TTO T7*J *n^ *ft&, hath math mlrai pltai, she wrings her hands
andbeats her head (in sorrow).

0^t IT* ^ ["•(?+ ^^^f f%fT*TT rr*fTf%f5T f**lf<«iT ^TT^IT^r, Dawi

gam suniaik basaik Hiriya Tamdlin Jiriya Lohain*, I hear
1

(the name of) a village called Dauri, (where) dwell Hira

Tamolini and Jira Lohaini.
TW*h f%^^f fawf<i*TT, ii a ni likhaik minatiya, so much (in the
way of) respectful salutations he writes.

^TTT viW ^f% afflfilVl ^W *rftT, Dina Bhadrik kanainh*

(*/ kan) Jogiyd dost malum, the friends and lovers of

(the respected) Dina and Bhadri all weep in Jogiya,

17
130 Maithili Grammar, [§ 198.
 —

§ 198.] Present Conditional. 131

The following are examples of the use of this tense :

First person :
— W&* €fa ^TT TT^T ^TfsPC ^fft *rf* ^frfiPC

lift ift *rfa ffa rftr^r *V f%*n^ 3fft, S#aw dfw cor ma I
hdjir karl (future) ; nah* hajir Jean (pres. conditional)
tan naum din ioh a ra sau bibah karl (future), on the
eighth day I will produce the thief (and) the stolen),
property ;
(if) I do not produce (them), then on the
ninth day I will marry you.
#t frfWU ki kahiauk, what am I to say (on your

behalf).

Second person :— ^PsTC -

^W ^rft ff^W fltfTl ^f «TTT, jakhan

ap a ne cahu takhan tor*iva leljal, when you, sir, may desire,

then have (the fruit) plucked and take it away.
*j^o nft satya pucht, (if) your honour ask the

truth.

Third person :—^^\ ^TTJI^ Mff^ft ^ f*^ t ^T*T, ag l lagal

jhop a n, je nik a se sB labh, when a cottage is on fire

whatever may come out (may be rescued), that is (clear)
profit.

^T f^T % ^W TH* ^^ V*™> kaHU disa ks ahait hdai

kahah u bujhay, tell clearly in what direction he is {lit.

may be) coming.

Hftf ^5^135 *> *Af*% waA? patiyah* W patiya + ah") to

^Trf%
abihe,

*
se
*r*T
if

# she do not believe you, then come.

t W:
hamar kiriya kardh, perform our funeral
faf^TT WCS, jah sa
1
nam calainh*

rites that

our name may endure.

132 MaitMll Grammar. [§ 199.

id
S=!
o

s CD •'-•

=
 a

133
« 199.1 Imperative

of this tense :-
are examples of the use
The following
First Person

mama
:-^^«™
bhagiri Kataiya sikar,
«$™ ^^
let us
T
three, uncle
' ^ "**
and

nephews, go to hunt in the Kataiya forest.

Man,
^ *TT % WW4 **W, bap
whereabouts.
mm U Jcahu-gd

let us tell our father (and) mother our

me Musah
BamyS h-H, drawing an arrow let kill

Baniya.

(first), and then

^Wy£'aa,letMm lea- something
me send him.
^ "^ ™
let

Second Person .- *jf* #3 ^ *^ T *M* **

muU dhar ap'W
'

iW (for W) mflftl dhailE Kataiya, oh*

which you (non-honorific)
bap he, with the mouth with
the same mouth seize
your
seized (me) (in) Kataiya, with

own father (an abusive phrase).

*qirr ^T *T i «*T mm **J> W™ a ? an *

in your own house

nhar mB sunnar khaek karB-gd. each
mother-in-law is address-
prepare beautiful food. (A
Hence non-honorific terms
ing her daughters-in-law.
are used).

" « Kir.^1 vmir foe (A wife is addressing her

having come, bind ) oui ioe. v- 3-
, •

husband respectfully).
my
^ *T#t W^T **, f«^ samz M#a« fcarw, come,

husband, make your meal. $

such words,
urfi fcoMUk, WW iSmos mat' brothersayaddresses
frardfc,
another
not

(One
Take not much anger.

^
familiarly).
TOT TPW W**
fMfA, look, uncle,
*'*>
for herd, of deer and
boar
,SM "' """""•
_ ,

'"*"

„ «* «r> ** ^
s ,„„ ro *
tl,e
et ''»'""" ;'*:• giv e
';;

order bnt onee (ef. the example of f*« **, » 8§ «»)

134 Uaithill Grammar. [§ 200.

M«rfNr f^jnrf?r ^f*r^ wrr^fsr, bhanahi Bidyapali suniai

Manami, saith Vidyapati, '
bear, Manaini.' (Vid.
lxxxii., 8).

+^^+ ^ «j|fd* ^naft W\, kah a hdkje jdtik Jogl cht,

say '
we are Jogis by caste.'

y*3S<* ^ ^ff«r WW #t, puch a huk je kon log cht, ask

'
(them), '
what is your Honours' caste ?

«t -^i K& *n?r % ^rT^VR! ^Y^TRT, Bahoran mama ke

lab a hok boldy, call and bring Bahoran (our) uncle.

^*W ^M+* W <3fl<*<| ^r3TT f^rfai, ham a ra halakak

sang okaroh" pathay diauk, send him also with my boy.

^>T^r ^t wwt fsrwr % +^fa sftfanqr «rrt, -B^w Sada

ammd Nir a so ke Jcah a hv.nh { Jogiya jai, say to the respect-
ed Kalfi Sada and mother Nirso '
go to Jogiya.'

Third Person :— f%^ #tf% ^R W V&TQ fc^f, kicch" sikh* lee

tS pathay diaik, let him learn something, then let me

send him.

orrfs #^ wg wtexi ^x *i* *tt % <nfs ?nr ^

^Kr %, y^/i' miihe dhailak Phop*ra gidarjefh bh&ilcB, tah
1

muhe dharan ham a ra ke, with the mouth with which

Photra the jackal has seized my elder brother, with the
same mouth let him seize me.
200. There are various forms of a respectful imperative in the

second person, made by adding T^r the, T^( id (or T^f iyd), T^p?

iahy t&ihd, ^ft* tank, ITffaf ihauk, {-£)['$ ihaunh 1

, T^f*T ihath
1
,

or ^Vf*5 bahinh* to the r-oot. These I call Mild Imperatives.

There are also some periphrastic respectful forms made by com-
bining the 2nd verbal noun in ^f I, with the Imperative or Future
of the \/ «rr ja, go, which I call the Respectful Imperative and

the Respectful Future respectively. Examples of these are as

follows :
—
•rfV Mfd*jrsJ ?ft ^rf^T, nah* patiyah 11
, to abih§, if she do not

believe yoii, then please to come.

 .

Imperative.
§ 200.]

rrrf% f*T* W* ^ «*r* ii

ani milabiya (m.c. for

mUabiyi).
£j S a nigama dm
BidM-mukha adha (\ id. xvn., 4)
Tahi dia (m.c. for <fea)
(four) vedas, and to
that add
Join the (ten) directions to the
half the (four) faces of Brahma.

Ti^^M, ek ber* hukum did, please give (me)

example of f*s dih*, in § 199).
the

order but once. (cf. the

sabhdzn man rahht&h,

ham toh'ra ek kahinz sun'bazchiah-jak'ra
I tell you a story, which please remember all your days.

inf iff *fW VI *TT* ft *ft *TO, tahU t5 haisiM hamJaU >

I am going to Dauri
village.
chi Dauri gam, please sit there,

mamapar'sah gdch, uncle

Ifcft* m\ VT*™*™, carhiauk

please climb up the parsa tree.

go to
brother, say to Ahira Goar, '

G? ar fee faMta* jfli 6a*Aa»,

(your) cow-shed.'
^tfta^fWtf** wtvre *Tf* TOT ^ ^T^T *TT*

karath* taiyar, dunujamay

kahihaunVje koh'bar
i*f* A»8 bMfe whom
(him) that the two sons-in-law for
ma\al gMnht, please tell
of his two daughters have
he is preparing the marriage bowers
been killed.
~ - .!r--r_. ^rr fesmT se fc3 sflrfi mamhath* hamar
let

M*. (for «Mrf), x n.

there c „
ore Ota'
n l-,vnther-in-law, accept (^or,

my day (.I*. ™»
mv brother-in-law accept )
,-,,,-,
„ * « -» it* *^fr. * m of grain
'•"" **"
less (than
""'"
the
;:
,ght
please do not give one seer

""%-#* ***** -™ «* "* "" ^ ^*"*

" ra>

>tt .. »*. A., <*» *•« «** 7^,^™

and take it.
to Iiuvp
v. *« the fruit plucked
lia\e tne
then be good enough
-i
i

V.
7 w L.„ .-JHh* ^'J" *
Bespectjul Future :—t^*
/&*, you Will
1 w^f 1
AW be

kuul s to look and

see.
he o-ood enough
be gooa
pleased to see, i.e.,
 —

136 Maithili Grammar. 202.

[§

Note.— The Respectful Imperative and Respectful Future are really

impersonal passives. #^T WW lei jay, is, .literally, '
let it be taken.' So
^S^T W^if dekhal jaet, is, '
it will be 6een (by yon).' This use of the im-
personal passive as a form of respect, is carried to great lengths in the
Naipali language spoken immediately to the north of Mithila.

201 (b). The Future tense in Maithili is formed in three

ways. In the first place it may be the same as the present
conditional. "We often find the forms of the present conditional
or imperative employed in the sense of the future. It may be
noted that, in the cognate Kasmiri language, the only form of the
future is made in the same way.
In the second place, a number of the forms of the future are
based on the second verbal noun, which ends in ^ b (^WSf dekhab,
to see).

In the third place, a number of the forms of the future are

based on the present participle, ending in ^ff ait (^irr dekhait,
seeing). In this case the termination of the participle is lightened
by changing ^ ait to ^W at (^sTfT dekhai) or T<? it (%f^r dekhit).

202. The idea of future time can be emphasized by adding

JT gd (in old Maithili jt gai or jrr/ gae) to any of these forms.
The addition of this termination is quite optional, and is most
common in conversation. Examples of the use of this termi-
nation taken from literature are as follows. Those of ar gai and
JT? gae are in poetry and are taken from Manbodh's Haribans :

dahl ke becab-gd, aor kaiicd sabah 1 sS dm kin 1 leb, I'll sell these
cux-ds, and with the pice (I get for them) I will buy mangoes.
(This example shows how purely optional the use of jt gd is. It
is employed with one future and not with the other).

3T<T tfrs; * 3i^-Jr a^rr^r, bap mai-ke kahu-gd thekan, we shall

(i.e., let us) inform (our) parents as to (our) whereabouts.

^nr^TT ^nrar VT. * ^jfT ?!rnF* ^T-jf, ap*na ap^na ghar me

sunnar khdek kare-gd, you will prepare beautiful food each in her
own room.
 — —

§ 202.] Future, First Form. 137

*nT?"-Jrr ^*T «*lf<?f ^JT»r, maraba-gai hama kalhi bathana, to-

morrow will I destroy the cowsheds.

n<g«i<* ^T*3 ^TT^-1"? ^rf%, takhanuka harakha kahaba-gae

kahi, to whom shall I tell the joy of that moment ?

The second and third of the above examples have also been
given as examples of imperatives. Grammatically, the termi-
nation jt gd shows that they are futures, used in the sense of
polite imperatives. They are the first form of the future, which
is identical with the present conditional and imperative.
It is hardly necessaiy to point out the correspondence of
this termination with the Hindi JTT ga in forms such as t^-TT
dekhu-ga, I shall see.

It is unnecessary to give a table of the terminations of the

first form of the future. They are identical with those of the
present conditional and imperative. One example may be given
in which the same word is used once as a future conditional,
and once as a future indicative :

Tff SS lfc H StfTl- eft *Tto ftT rrt^TT ^f fa*l^ *ffr, nah* hajir

kari, tau naum din toh a ra sau bibah kan, If I shall not produce (the
thief) then I will marry you on the ninth day.
Other examples are :

?f% ^ H<*K<» ?^W rTT?TT ^T^ff *F«ir fw* f^33?, eh? up a karak

bad a la toh a ra kaiek hatha sikhay diah u , in return for this favour
I will teach you (object in second person) certain things.
v pathay diaik,
f%^ €tf% $n? W ^TO 1
f<.£'+, kicch sikh lee, ta

let him learn something, and -then I will send him (to school).

18
138 Huithili Grammar. [§ 203.

be
=
13
Pi

•PH <X> ,_

-5 * b9

F-l

13
PI
ir if a
a> 9
.2 »

c <IW g .2

M f3
3
T3
s «

13

68

O —
a3
13
09
CO
-
— ^•s

O rG d g
«H
 Future,' Second Form. 139
§1203.]

The following are examples of this form of the future

:—

First Person: sfff Trf**re !ft *TfaS ^| aft^fft *pTTT9,

ncih* patiyah* to abikB, debah* (de+*bah*) goahl gujaray,

if she do not believe you, please come, (and) I will bear
testimony.

W % t^T fT ^rf^ tT *frfa, sab^ kedebo (de + a b5)

ham car 1 ser bo?i\ to all will I give four seers (of grain)

as daily wages.

H l ^«j ^«tot ^=T 'srerr'?, marab dhanuhha, deb khasdy,

I will smite him with (an arrow from my) bow and fell

him.
^T5TTr «rft Ifcw mHH ^HT, Kaj a ra nadl kaisan ut a rab

par, how shall we cross the river Kaj a ra ?

[N.B.— This form in m ab is the one in general use].

srfr ^t *mr 'ST^ W^ ^*TT f%*TT, nafc, he mama,

ghur a bai; caldh Kafaiya sikar, we will not return,

uncle come to hunt in Kataiya.

:

^<«fd ^HT^ t WTfT |W rflTT ?^ ^HTf TO

are
( ;, (r
a m ,^ %<ri re cliaura put. torn ek thapar mcir'bau,

you mad, you son of a boy r I will give you a slap.

tn: * ^rft *m 'Ctt tt^t vixfz ^ SJlfaH W ^ ?C!W

rfWTT ^tfwfo t^s? *W * Tft fTO, &/i«r we c*« 6Zre? ;

malpakar 1
kai liajir kai ddh, takhan toh'ra phur'sat
cor
debah' 1
; bic mi nah* debah», a theft has taken place in

(mv) house ;
arrest the thief and his booty, then will I

release you ;
till then I will not set you free.

^rfk t f*T 5fft faf ****, unat* ke ham nah>

kah a baik, I will make no reply (to her).

lcicck*

Second Person : *TO *T^ f? ^f, & flm°™ 9"ik iUulh f*" M '

my cow (a rude question.)

will you drink the milk
of ?

f^n^fr ^*WT % ^5^1" ^»*r*T, Nu*«3 cwma fre fca7t a batt

bujhay, you will explain to

mother Nirso.

vr^T^f VTfr ffrfr irfft ^ <fi *mr i

«f#t WH
140 MaitUli Grammar. [§ 203.

dhabak dhar* tor 1 machl hauk, ho mama. McLchi baithat

(3rd person) ham a ra deh par. Kahab (1st person) habaT.
Par a sak gach par se heth hob a ho (2nd person), tear off a
branch of the dhaba tree, and drive off the flies. The
flies will settle on our corpses. I will tell you a circum-
stance (that concerns us). Will you come down from
the parsa tree ?

fTW»T *TRT SWWWfH wft^", takhan jay puch^ahunh*

sakhi ke, (one girl addresses another) then you will go
and ask our (respected) friend.

adha adha sabh masald Lach a nu Dai ke ap a ne cuppe

debainh*, your Honour will give half of each of the deli-
cacies privately to the respected Lachmi Dai.
The following is an example of the suffix wf'W anh'1
as used
by Manbodh (see § 193).

kah a lanhi kubalae pira lai ani,

dwara dharaba-anhi (for dha^bainh 1

) bhinasara jani.

He said, " having brought (the Elephant) Kuvalaya Pida at

dawn, warily you will place him at the door."
 Future, Third Form.
141
§ 204.]

>».
 —

142 Maithili Grammar. [§ 204.

Examples of this form of the future as follows. Only one

example has been noted in literature of the 1st person, and none
of the 2nd person. The example of the first person will be found
in the third sentence below :

Third Person : fw* WV7^ TCW WWG «Nt ^ TWT JTTW ^T #

T3"Traf, jib jdet, paran bacat, taio ne \>ar a sa gach par se h§fh

hobd, (whether) my life will go (i.e., will be lost), (or

whether) my life will be saved, still I will not descend from
the Pars a tree.

*n*Tjr TflfST ^n§«r ^ft ^fk i

madhupura ramanijakhana hari dekhati,

harakhita janama krtflratha lekhati. (Manbodh.)
*
When a damsel of Madhupur will see Hari,
She will rejoice and will consider her life's desire
fulfilled.

f*r^?rr^ fV^r ^rfr vt? i wm ^^nr *?V tnfsr ^f% i*j*,

saml sal a hes jau mil a tath l

, saml sal a hes lai raj bJiogitah r'

(1st person). Nah* mil a tah hia har* ghurab. f

Sog santap sau,

pani dhas i
khasab, (if) my lord Salhes will be met (by me),
with my lord Salhes will I enjoy the kingdom. If he will
not be met (by me), losing my heart (heart-broken) will I
return. In sorrow and affliction will I plunge into water
(and drown myself).

[Xote in this example two different forms of the first person

and two different forms of the third person honorific. In each
case the two forms of each pair are quite identical in meaning.]

fsrWT 9^P-3 1WK. «HI^ 3Tf% ^ WW %W% T^«TT^ *rff *H ^ I

Nir a so delanh* bajar Tcewar thokK je babu sut a !e rah a tah nah*

j ait ah, XirsS shut adamantine doors {i.e., shut the door
tightly) saying, '
my sons will remain asleep, and will not
depart.'

fflTT W^ ^f^PTT ^nrf«T^f «rf%T ^ryr ^r^J ^^w, Morang chaik

paniya ku-patiiya, bahire dharHai sdhuk kal a buj, in the
 143
Future, Third Form.
§ 205.]

bad water, and will seize from without

Morang the water is

the body of the Sahu (and fill him with disease).

Eh men*-
^^f tahir miyU befl ohai bar jogHon. thajpaf

daughter is a great sorceress.

tau paninah* plbi, Tahir Miya's
you will never drink water
She will give you one slap and
(again) (i.e., you will be killed).
mi[i '
le karatahU mnsmr
* wre. «*^> r« cd
'

qWt ftftr
your funeral ceremonies,
the five will unite and perform

^r «** %*T ^ *f* W, toh'ra sabhak kes-o terh

pers.), not even a hair of one

of
nah*

haitah* (indirect obj. in 2nd

you will be bent.
expedi-
^T *rnr Whi WW, barakh barah lagHaik khep*wB, the

tion will last twelve years.

As an example of Manhddh's suffix ^H •**. we have ^?rrf '

quoted in § 193.
*fa, khaitah-anhi, already
formed from the
205 (c) (5) The Past Conditional is

are added
the personal terminations
present participle, to which
I, no termination is added
directly. In the short form of group
being here em-
in the third person, the
bare present participle

ployed alone. _a .

*«« dekhatt,
The present participle ends in *T ait, as in

this termination is
seeing When personal terminations are added,
usually lightened to *r * thus ^Rf *»* This lightening
re-
is not however obligatory, and
we sometimes hear the > at

of any particular form, but

tained. This is not a peculiarity
equation of the writer or the
depends entirely on the personal
Sometimes the *r ait is lightened
to *w at &**
speaker.
This also is a case of personal
dekhat), instead of TW it.

e<lUa
tense. I have
Tne following the terminations of this
are
each instance, so
termination in
included the lightened participial
are to be added to the root due*
that the terminations as given,
substi-
• may (as has been explained) be
In every instance ai or
The terminations
tuted for the initial of the termination.
.'

much the most usual.

commencing with i are, however,
144 Maitliili Grammar. [§ 206.

- -u o

d S3
CO o

oca^
^ a

i-l « -P O
a
^ o<D *1
oo
2
a.
-O J3
•
H B h
4^ p.

o 03 O
§ to
CO o

-: a cJ
AS

i* a "
J
S o-s
<B H fl

0)
rt S"
- p
O
a,
00 -p S b
03 S J2 A
O 1«2
co g«2

5 5

^3 p.
-p
o •r tj
O JO ,C
is a

a ^
0)
•-

CO O
o
CM

« do

* J3
o

'K0SH3J
 145
§ 206."
Past Conditional.

this tense :—
are examples of the use of
The following

First Person

%n
.— Wf wlWT W*T ™W-«fPnT *f*r|
^|
iftf&& nwm *nr fWt *»t* ^"^ * w ^ ^
kmaA 5 toh'rajakZbamj-byapar karitah*,
Jiff* iTft^rf, ;««
pao bkar* arm emhar
m omhar sS
aor ann taulitah*, takhan
yon, had
mdgi natf khaitah* (for Jcha+itah*), if I also, like
food, I should not have
done trading and had weighed out
food begged from here
eaten to-day a quarter of a seer of
and there.

I had known, I would have

ml bar*di tamakU lad'baitiai, if

loaded a bullock in Bagha with tobacco.

Second Person (also Third Person) :-*fF

*f WW *f* WTffrT?
;

ao, mar* AfaZft, takhan motl toh*ra hath lagait,

natf <**«»
not let me go and had killed
me, then that pearl
ifyou had
would have come into your hand.

Third Person .-ftm T^T * tfrfwr ^W **&, j&# ^ ait to

they had been alive they would

jogiya abait paUP, if

have come back to Jogiya.

^ W* TN^ ufalf W f^| WW, *. heo rahitatlS mari-
other person (than
tah* mukka ditah* hhasay, if it had been any
we should have struck him with
vou, our respected mother),
a blow of the fist, and knocked him down.
™-
**f* ^TT^f TOTff *™ ^rfT, ««^"^ ***«"« *
a

to Jtjari Ins sons-

tanh* jamaiya jUjarK if they had come
ceremony of drcragaman.
in-law would have performed the
indicative is employed in
Sometimes the imperfect tense
An example is art ^HTW W^T
the sense of the past conditional.

ftm vft ^tto *nn: Mr WW* irfr ^^ fSmr, ,0 jfetf

kauno musahar'ni nah> kadak

chalah dina bhadrt jogiya nagar,
Musa-
staar, if Dina and Bhadri had
been alive in Jogiya town, no
herself. In this example
har's wife would have dared to adorn
also employed in the apodosis in the
the past tense indicative is

sense of the past conditional.

19
 '

146 Maithill Grammar. [§207.

207. (c) (6) Present Indicative.

(c)(7) Imperfect Indicative.
These two tenses are formed by combining the present parti-
ciple with Auxiliary Verbs. They will be dealt with under the
head of periphrastic tenses (Chapter III).
208. (d) (8) Past Indicative. — This tense is formed from
the past participle in W^T cd (^<9<?J dekhal), which in the case
1

of transitive verbs is a passive. Thus '^<sf«s!, dekhal, means '

seen,
1

and when we want saw we must say seen by me.

to say '
I ' '

We have observed that nouns and pronouns have nothing corres-

ponding to the agent case in Hindi. The by me,' by you,' or by ' ' '

him,' etc., which forms the subject of the verb, is therefore indi-
cated by the terminations suffixed in conjugating the tense.

<,<JMj , dekh a lah z means ,

'
seen by me,' '
I saw '
; ^?3W%, dekh a lah,
means '
seen by you', '
you saw '
;
<<d<^* dekh a lak, means seen by '

him,' '
he saw '
; and so on.

On the other hand the past participle of an intransitive

verb is not necessarily passive. *5«T^T, sutal means '
slept,' and in

conjugation '
I slept ' may be represented by either '
it was slept
by me '
or by '
slept I.' In Maithili both principles are followed
in conjugating intransitive verbs. This is most manifest in the
periphrastic tenses formed from the past participle, the perfect and
the pluperfect, but we also see clear traces of it in the conjugation
of the past indicative. Here there is a mixture of forms. For
'
I slept ' we usually say 'it was slept by me but ' ; for '
you slept

we do not say ' it was slept by you '

( Qif^re sut a ldh ) but we say
^T^rrer sut a lah, i.e., slept you. It thus follows that the conjuga-
tion of the past tense of an intransitive verb sometimes agrees
with that of the past tense of a transitive verb, and sometimes
differs.

At the present day all sense of the reason for this difference
has disappeared from the language. No native of Mithila, when
employing the past tense of a transitive verb, is aware that he
is using a passive idiom. To him the pasts of both kinds of verbs
are conjugated in as straightforward a manner as the English, I
loved, thou lovedst, he loved. All that he is conscious of is that
in the tenses formed from the past participle, the conjugation of
§ 208.] Past Indicative. 147

transitive verbs differs from that of intransitive ones, and, for

practical purposes this is all that need be known. It is unneces-

sary to consider <*sl^J dekh a lah z as meaning '

it was seen-by-me,'
and it is quite sufficient to consider it as meaning '
I saw,' just as

q?Rgri| snt<*lah z means '

I slept ' ; but it is useful to know the origin

of the difference, and for that reason the above explanation has
been given.

"We commence with giving the terminations of the past tense

of the transitive verb.

148 Maithili Grammar [§ 209.

<-a
-z

>
a
a
'•&

00

ft

c.
c
 —

§ 209.] Past Indicative, Transitive. 149

In the above paradigm the termination al (fern. al l )

properly
belongs to the first person in the short form of Group I. In the
case of intransitive verbs, it is not used in the first person, but is

used in the third person of the same group. In old (e.g., in

Manbodh's Haribans) poetry, and in the speech of the illiterate

(e.g., in the song of Sallies), this termination is, however, also used
in the third person of the transitive verbs. I have, therefore,
inserted it also under the third person, placing it within marks
of parenthesis to show that its use in this person is not regular.

In the third person of Group II, the termination «7awft { is

the one in common use. I have only noted one occurrence in

literature of the form a lath l .

The following are examples of the use of this tense :

First Person : — WT *T*nfre *rwf f^W T^f I

WW ^T WT^J ^T 3J^T I!

Bhana Manabodha pacha kichu rahala. 1

Katha prasanga ftgu liama kahala. 1

Saith Manbodh, '

this occurred (intransitive, 3rd person)
somewhat subsequently. In the order of (my) tale
I said (transitive, 1st person) it too soon.'

*fwr sf f^snjT jJ^T^Rf 3hf VX ^5T*r «+^<,HH kahiyo na dekhal

gehnmanak phec par khanjan phah a rait, never (before) did I see a

khafijan-bird hovering over the hood of a cobra.

jflf WR ft TOf ^ ft Tff Tff

chi, eh
1
^T#t ^^t
nah} jan a ll aha bhadri
«ft ft gor
chi, I clasp
lagait chi, palya parait
(your) legs, I fall at (your) feet, I did not know this, that Your
Honour was Bhadri.
WW *F gW^S *TftfTW 31^ Tl, janam sa puj a lah z mokdma garh

m§, from (my) birth, did I worshipped (thee) in Mokama fort.

mw& ^^ru ^T^f% T*; gw *N *f* tT3t^ ^m ^ ^^

v^jt w* ^ t^ * fl «n D J3r fi* ft*" ^fc * if*™ i«rwhff,

1 i.e., rahal, kahal. Being in verse, the final a is pronounced. See § 9.

 150 Maithill Grammar. [§ 209.

bal apan ac a ra banhal 1 par purukh muh nah* dekhal 1 janam pae
,
,

sindur nah* mU,g pahiral* ; hun*ka hdran kUce basak koh^barbanhal\

lal palang sabh rang sej ochaol* (for ochab + al*), sikiya cir* hat
beniya banaoV (banab + al*), (a woman speaks) I tied up my
girlhood with my body-cloth, the face of another man I did not
see, from my birth I did not wear vermilion on the parting of my
hair. For him did I build a bridal arbour of fresh bamboos, on a
crimson bed did I overspread a mattress of varied colours, and
with a split reed did T apply silver spots to my brow.

f^JW ^n^faf, lakh ap a radh kailauk, lakh gar* dels, takar idar
ham nah* kick* kah«lauk,
committed a hundred thousand faults I

against you a hundred thousand abusive words did you give

;

me (and yet) no answer of that (abuse) did I say to you.

;

Second Person : *nfs VT^ ^ «fl^f ^i % ht^ $w wfa ^%\

TfW VTT, jnh 1
marad lai joban seb a ls, se marad baisal chauk
deb a ha nadik dhar, the man for whom you have kept your
virginity, is seated for you by the stream of the river Debha.

*'•* 1* H\<al SRf MTT W^r 5*fTT, kaun garu par a lau bar
bhore chskal duar, what misfortune has befallen you that your
Honour has obstructed my door very early in the morning ?

f^ ^xtttv JTT^f^f ^k, bin* ap"radh§ gar'daniya deldh,

without fault (i.e., for no fault) you gave them neck-thrusting (i.e.,
you thrust them away by the neck).

Third Person : <fhft *Tff f^*l* ^ftfJI^T^ w, keo natf einh'lak,

jogiyak log, none of the people of Jogiya recognised them.

t^sT^f ^^ ^ ^f ^J«nifr «*T, dekh a lak sallies je bar aj a gut

bhel, Salhes saw that (something) very extraordinary (had)
happened.
<3"fe f *r^p* Trfk f flfc^Pff «N«^<* W^t1% ^ %, cat* de
dhailak, pap de marHak, banhHak pachunr dhai Ice, giving abrupt-
1

ness (i.e., suddenly) he seized (him), giving instantaneousness

(i.e., instantly) he struck (him), seizing him from behind he
bound
him.
This termination a lak is very common.
 Past Indicative, Transitive. 151
§ 209.]

The following are examples of the irregular omission of the

final ak.

braja-
4f*3 ifo SW^f 3 *H q, had had kusala puchala
f?W i

natha, smilingly Yrajanath asked his welfare. (Manbodh, vii, 28)

'
kai deba sabai' sabahii eha kahala,.
nija anucara sabha kahala hakdra. (Manbodh, ii, 34, 35).

All of them said this '

we will do everything '
His

attendants all uttered a howl.

*W*, bdjai hlgal (intransi-

1TW <sTT*T^ «ft ftsTT *Y WT5H?
tive) bhadri, dina sau sajal (for sdj'lak) jabdb,
Bhadri began

to speak, to Dina he arranged his answer.

hn ^fTWT ^
malin 1 dachinak ctr paMr* lei
Sif?
1
^^ «wttfr «f%, takhan dauna
(transitive), pafi samhar lel\ naina
1

asHe kas a bin {

bhel 1
(intransitive), then
kajar penh { lei 1

herself in garments of the south,

Dauna Malin apparelled
arranged her flat temple-locks, (and) applied collyrium to her
eyes (in appearance) she became a real harlot.

be seen that in the last two examples, taken from

[It will

modern prose, the irregular form of the transitive verbs seems

to be suggested by the neighbourhood of an
intransitive verb

with the same subject.]

^T «k*rf"* ftTT rm ^^Tr % t^rf* *m, pher marHanh*

dinardm phot'ra he delanh 1
khasSy, again (the respected) Dina
smote Photra and dashed him down [delanh for de +
1
Ram
a lanh i
).

SR^ *35 fft T^^fS *T ^TPT I W* tft 39^ ^^f? S*W

^^TfT, apan bah" rakh a lanh* ghar svtay, humar beti putuh*
befl
put his own
dekhHanh* ndgat ughar\ he (the respected one)
in his house, and (came
daughter-in-law and daughter to sleep
here and) having uncovered them saw my daughter
and daughter-

in-law naked.
 152 Maithill Grammar. [§ 209.

[As an example of Manbodh's method of employing the

suffix *£3 an hi (§ 193), we may quote:—
***** ^"?-^ff*5 ^ W^T mw^l, sabahii dekhala-anhi je chain
jdgala, every one who was awake saw (what happened).]
[The solitary example of the form in Hath 1 which I have
noted occurs in the song of Dina Bhadri. It is as follows :—

de
^f*
+ 'lath
^^
1
* T f^ f&f*, d'eW dunu bhai
the two brothers left their bodies (and disappeared).]
clwr 1 delath* (for

),

**T *H *jf I** VnfowW tttw WT ft^f iff! h\m*%

*
hatha
sabh sau bahut
bujhaul«kai (for bujhab + al*kai) parant* keo
,

hicch* nah* manal'kai, he remonstrated much

with them bywords,
but no one heeded (him) at all.

^T
Tt *f$ TT*m*\,
^
53^ % Mifinfd $**, dada ho, nah*
bujhal'kau ; dunu putuh* he phajihat 1 kailak, brother,
she did not
understand you she has done indignity to her daughters-in-law.
;

Wm* sfafTT ^<* «rpr ^

<?)<**, tahhan ok«ra sabhak bap kaha-

I'kaik, then their father said to them.

Tfr ^ 5 kahal'kainfc ' hamHo namaskar Ukh* diaiinfc '

mon'si
kahalnhinK nah> hau,' he (the ignorant fool, not respected)
'

said
(politely to the respected scribe) please write my '
compliments
also.' The (respected) scribe said (politely, to the fool, whom he
treated with respect) '
it is not (what you think).'
 I

153
§ 210.] Past Indicative, Intransitive.

Q
P
n

>

T3
a

00

o
I—
•75
154 Maithili Grammar. [§ 210.

Regarding the employment of those forms of Groups I and

IIwhich refer to the object in the second person, and the forms
(Group III and IV) in which the object is honorific, reference
should be made to §§ 191, 192 and § 189.
The following are examples of the use of this tense :
—
First Person :—^TT f^T m|t WWT xjrH^j ?TT, on din char*
chawa utaralah" par, on other days I crossed (the river) (with the
water only; up to the calves of my legs.

3TTTS ^W «frf?RTT «TT5rfV: ^^W, barah barakh jogiya j%jar'x

bas a lah z , for twelve years lived we in Jogiya Janjari.

sfTT^ ?fr% W%T WT^K 4*i*ft, barah baris naihar sasur bas a li,
for twelve years did we live in our fathers' houses and in those
of our fathers-in-law.

Second Person .— t imn; <ff ^»TT iffa *fi*jr ymfc fwfT Ji^f,

re gamar, to hamar tiriu katha ekhanati* bisar* gele (for ge. + a W)

fool, you already forgot my three statements.

Vfa 1^ T^T
T # ^ffW? ^^sTTfr, kaun garii paral je sut a lah
khat<*bar\ what calamity befell (you) that you (the respected one)
slept (i.e., art lying prone) upon your) bed.
|

Third Person .— ^jn^f *J^ ^fa f^TT H?t ^^^ f*T?re, ammak
sabad sun 1 dina bhadri ufhal cihay, when they heard their mother's
words, Dina and Bhadri started up.

JTtaTO^fa snc wf^J ^far vfNf fwm\ t^f%, gosaunik ghar

paisal dina bhadrik si^ma baisal 1 she entered the shrine of the
1
; ,

family Goddess she sat by the head of Dina and Bhadrl's bed.
;

^fa T«trT, calHah bhadri gtddmi ke udes : chaurak rup dhailak

bhadri calal bard dih bathan, (the respected) Bhadri went to
search for Gulami he took the shape of a little boy (now no
:
:

longer respected, being but a village lad) Bhadri went to the

cowshed in Bara Dih.
fw ^rfr I- ^^TW *rrf%f5T i ^^f?r =^r#t^ *H%fir wiffU
 —

§ 211.] Past Indicative, Intransitive. 155

hiya har'1 kai cal a tih malin 1 : kanait' cal a lih malin 1
1
swamik udes :

dege dege cal a lili : jojan bhar* jay jumHih ap a nd phul a barf : phul
dekh 1 dharHi khas a lih mur a chay : takhan lot 1 lot 1 konai lag a lih
phul a barl mi : hunak kanab sun 1 sang samaj sakhl bahin bhor
hoit ael'1 , broken-hearted went (the respected) Malin weeping :

went Malin to search for her husband : step by step she went •.

she travelled for a whole league and arrived at her garden : see-

ing the flowers she fell fainting : then, rolling on the ground, she
began to weep: hearing the sound of her weeping her (not res-
pected) companions, female friends, (and) sisters came at dawn.
As a specimen of Manbodh's use of the suffix unh 1 (§ 193),
we may quote :
—
th: TC^J-^f*? ^H «T«rr? I
paira parala-anhi prema janae
(The respected) Akrura expressing (his) affection fell at (Krsna's)

feet (Man. vii, 27).

Similarly >fiM<t^ -^f^ jhapatala-anht, he swooped (Man. x,

17), and *ff^r^T-^jf^ jhalakala-anhi, he glittered (Man. ix, 11).

3fr?r ^TJrtr *P<rWT ^HF *IT^, kanai lag a lui barua (long form of

bar, a boy) caru gun a b§, the boy began to weep in a pretty way.

^•T T^ m.^ft , kaun garu par a lau, what misfortune has be-
fallen you ?

f^W sfpft T^l^f ^rf^

-

*W f^T % ^ ^F, kich u baki rah a laik,

kalh* som din he le jaih§, something remained wanting (to com-

plete the full weight), let her take that away on Monday.
mTU<j % ff^r ^«T3JfT $i£\w, phoP>ra ke dekh* aja gut bhelauk,

having seen Photra, it was wonderful to you.

^far vf\ *rfr ii^f«^, dina bhadri mar 1

yelainh 1 ,
(the res-

pected) Dina and Bhadri (have) died.

*n§*r jfarr-^t ^rl ^Rr^tf*? ir *nwt ^ vfwr, takhan gangs-

nao gel bhasiya, then the holy Ganges

1

ji kahai lagal a thinh je 1 '

began to say that 'the boats were washed away.'

In order to make the Transitive and Intransitive conju-
211.
gations of this tense quite clear, the student may be reminded
that some terminations are common to transitive and intransitive
verbs, while others are peculiar to transitive, and others again to
transitive verbs. This is made plain in the two following tables :
156 Maithili Grammar, [§211.

a
a

T3
£3

CO
 211.] Past Indicative. 157

>5

>

O
•rH

on
cs
 — —

158 Maithili Grammar. [§ 212.

212. (d)(9). Perfect Indicative.

(d)(10). Pluperfect Indicative.
These two tenses are formed by combining the past parti-
ciple with auxiliary verbs. They will be dealt with under the
head of periphrastic tenses (Chapter III).

CHAPTER II.

Verbs Substantive axd Auxiliary Verbs.

213. The Verb Substantive is freely employed in the forma-

tion of periphrastic tenses ; viz. of the Present Indicative, the

Imperfect Indicative, the Perfect Indicative, and the Pluperfect

Indicative. There are several forms of the verb substantive, all

of which are in common use.

214. The verb substantive most frequently met with is that

formed from the root ^l^ ach, be. It is defective in its conjuga-

tion, the only parts used being the present and past tenses and

the present participle. Moreover, in the modern language, except

in one form of the 3rd person of the present, and in the present
participle, the initial ^ a is always dropped, so that the word for
'
I am ' is #t chi, not WW^ achi. In the older language, however,

of poetry and occasionally in folktales, the initial ^f a is commonly

preserved. In poetry, moreover, the final $ ai of the long form
of the first person (including the 2nd person honorific), is often

weakened to W a, so tliat we have fifSf chia for fwj? chiai for 'I

am,' '
you are.' In the following paradigm such poetical forms
are given within marks of parenthesis.

The conjugation of the present tense of this verb is based on

the conjugation of the old Present (see § 197) of the regular
verb, but presents a few abnormal forms. The conjugation of
the past tense follows that of the past tense of the regular in-
transitive verb. This verb is conjugated as follows :

y/ ^JW ach. be.

Present Participle : —iHF*r achait ; fern, wfw achait 1 , being.

 159
§ 215.] Verbs Substantive and Auxiliary Verbs.

ft
160 Maithih Grammar. [§ 216.

£1 r |
s .n c 42:
o = = o IF 5.
- cc 2 .£, » 2
IBT ^
O

to ^
-—
T
IF J!
5 «33 ' =
»
« O = I* 2

• 00 »n
I S a
-2 0^
3 .« •*= "
o " Oa £ a g
2 ^ a.

Eh

< a
q o . g —
Iff

iZ!

p o r»
p ja Mr
=9
2 is
02 C

p, 5 ^

"Op
0-=^ «>•

~ a -a

m'
1ST

ip-

to » IF W

K0SH3J
§ 217.] Verbs Substantive and Auxiliary Verbs. ^/ ach. 161

The following are examples of the use of this verb, as a verb

substantive. Many other examples will be found under the
head of the periphrastic tenses.

217. Present. First Person: — 5rrf?TO «n*ft" **t,jatik j'dgi

chi, by (lit. of) caste we are Jogis.

^f*r ^T*TO W^r ^t, ham dhar a mak beta chi, I am the son of

Virtue {i.e., I am telling the truth).

^^^ W^5T S^W ^T <T9FT II

hama haladhara anucara chia jakara I

caudaha bhuban hukuma cala talcara II (Man. ix, 66.)

The fourteen worlds move at His commands, whose servants

I and Haladhara are.

Second Person : — ^fr^T WH *ft, kon log chi, what caste are Your
Honours ?

?f% •r'H' 3T*T#f ^"^t vft wt, eh 1 nah* jan a li ahS, bhadri chi,

this I did not know (that) Your Honour is Bhadri.

Third Person :
—W*3*i W.yfi tXT ^HT ^fw wfr, kakhana jaeta
(m.c. iovjnet) dina kata achiberi, when will the day go
how much time is (left) ? (Vid. xii, 3).

"?f% «5jf* ^fr^ft ^Sfsr ^^TT, ehi achi kali phani durabara, (in)

this (place) is the invincible snake Kali (Man. iv, 19).

1
^ff^T "5^> ^«TT ^fn^rr ^fw, carim ek hatha dor ach ,
there is

one more, a fourth, statement (which I am going to

tell you).

^q<j f z\ ^"^r wfa % ^m W*l^t, ham rd beta jehan chath* sB

a

khvbjunai-chi, you know well what sort (of temper)

there is to my (respected) son.
^ffl^T VftT. ^TJT ^W? ^%^>, kamala-bhramara jaga achae (for

achat) aneka, lotus (-loving) bees there are many in

(this) world (Vid. xlv, 1).

^rlffr WT^n: ^fsr ^fT ^W9, santati okara a) a (m. c. for aja)

dhari achae (for achai), his descendants exist to this

day (Man. xiii, 18).

21
162 Maithill Grammar. [§218.

<TTf%T *ffaf«fl W^\ W ^ *TTJIcn»r, tahir miyak beti chai bar

joyHan, Tahir Miya's daughter is a great sorceress.

§{ ^fT^f ^'•rai ^f% rTf^T # lh" *IJT % ?e kal dhailak ah 1 toh a ra

se chau laye m§, the death (i.e., the murderer) which has
seized you is still close to you.

rfl ^<; i *it; TT "F^f ^?"?TT 3f^, toh a ra ghar me ek candrahar

chah u in your house there
, is to you a necklace.
«T^r *T wt-^I ^*P?T «F3> W\ vmw ^W W^, bakas m§ chau- fa
rupaid chaik o masala, sabh chaik, in the box are six
rupees, and there are dainties,

^t «TTO fw^i I ^fT^ ^T Til W^, ki nam chik ? kdlii sada

nam chik, what is (your) name? (my) name is Kalu
Sada.

mwvft ^f% 3f ^TT Wr^ wf*%, sri lach ml deb* k§ nena chot
a
'sft

chainh 1 to the respected Laksnrl

,
Devi thei-e is a little

baby (not respected), i.e., she has had a baby.

H ^tft qpCSraS ^€tf^

l
^T M^, samlk ar°jal chathinh Jeupwm 1

bhal, the welfare of (a respected wife's) relations is the

gain of (the respected) husband.

218. Past. First Person .— snf^-arr srft ^ *rr<T *?TT^ WW

•rff ar«f^tj nanhi-ta chall ham bap maik nam nah* jan a li,

(a man is speaking) I was a baby, and did not know

the name of my father and mother.

^T iffaT T^t wf^9^, ham toliar bwri chaliah u , I was to you

your enemy.
Second Person : — I have not come across any example of this

person in literature.
Third Person : —WCT TC ^ ^Nf ^S *3 TO 7^ *fr#t WW,
ham a ra pet m§ murgik anda-h u sff paigh ek rridti chal, in

my belly there was a pearl bigger than even a hen's

egg.
jfif4< Iff ^T^f ?T5T-5TrfT I

^ wf% wfcv ^^f% f%^ ^rfr n

gobula gamana sunala braj-ndri I

je chali jatae baisali hia hari II

 218.] Verbs Substantive and Auxiliary Verbs. ^/ ach. 163

When the women of Braj heard of the departure of Krsna,

they all sat down broken-hearted (Man. vii, 33).

aehalaha mota clwta je bhela |

kota gelaha nalu lajaka lela II

Those who had been (lit. were) (so) stout (and valiant, and)
had (now) become (so) small, out of shame did not re-
turn to the fortress (Man. x, 50).

IP^F f%<sN I r<.<* W^T *T "?^> "VfVT W^T, eh cil a horik lol m§ ek ghogha

chalai, there was a shell-fish in the beak of a kite.

*TTT *f& W^H55 W flTT^T T^f <*<J^I, bhaijefh chalah" sB maral gel
1

kafaiyn, he who was to-you your eldest brother has been

killed in Kataiya.

Present Participle, cft^r W*T WK "tr ^"r^t h^t, toh a ra achat t

(a sort of '
ablative absolute ') ghar m§ con bhel, while you were
present (i.e., while you were in charge) a theft took place in

the house.
fsrsr ^f«r wfir *nr ^wm i

%^I T^f%^» ^n# II

nija dhani achaiti nai vpabhogaba I

kebala parahi-ka ase II

You, while having your own wife, will not be content with her
but your hope is only for another's wife (Vid. li, 6).

T*T?f ^5 «T ^>fr^ f5fTT# achaita bastu na karia (m. c. for

karia) nirase, do not disappoint him as long as any thing

remaineth (to thee) (Vid. iii, 4).

This verb is very frequently used with a genitive or dative

of possession to mean 'to have.' Thus from Manbodh (vi,

.34, 35).
^rsTT Wf% ^?T ^fw WT^f I......

^tx an; wfw *rrf% ^^r? ff? i

canura musti liamara aclii mfila |

kari bara achi mohi knbafae pira r

 ) —

164 Maithili Grammar. [§ 219.

Of me are (i.e., I have) (two) wrestlers, Canura and Musti...

to me is (i.e., I have) an excellent elephant (named) Kuvalaya
Pida. Similarly Vidyapati (lxxix, 7).

«lf% *fm a^rr ^rfw •if? ^«T Jni" nahS mor& taka achi nahi
dhenu gai, I have no money and no milch cow.

*/ ^% ah, be.

219. Another form of the verb substantive which we frequent-

ly hear in conversation is connected with the Hindi ^ hai, is, and
may be said to be based on the root ^~% ah, be. It is still more
defective than the root ^iw ach ; indeed. I have only met two
forms of it, viz. :

^f% ah}, he is.

^ hau, he is (object in 2nd person).

The latter fomi^ would postulate the existence of ?" hai, but 1 have
not come across it. Examples of the tise of these two forms are :

*f[T^» ^W ^TTT ^Ji <3jf? thorek am ham*rd sang ah 1

, a few
mangoes are^in*my possession.

^
t^ ^NtT 7rm JIT** *U^TT *5 #t WW Tf* des des dor gam
g&m ghumHa sd kl labh ah\ what profit is there from wandering
about from country to country and from village to village ?

tffaft *Tj^«Ttf^ qf% *£\ mon a sl ItahalHMnti '

nah* hau,
1
the
(respected t
scribe said (politely) 'it is not (what you think).'
The use of this root is regular in the ]\lag a hi and Bboj a puri
dialects of Bihari. In them the verb is much more fully conju-
gated.

^/ fV^f thik, be.

220.^JInstead of the verb ^/ ^m ach, the verb »/ f*^\ thik

may be substituted, but only in the present tense.

221. The y/ fsj^i thik is by origin the strong form of the

»/ *r«r t/u\ which is derived from the Sanskrit f%W stinta, stood,

f^fjf sthita is the past participle of the Sanskrit intransitive

y/jgl stho, stand. It should therefore be remembered that ^/ f^f
thik is by | origin a past participle of an intransitive verb.
§ 221.] Verbs Substantive and Auxiliary Verbs. */ thik. 165

Although, therefore, it is now only used in the sense of the present

tense, it takes the terminations of the past tense of an intransitive
verb, the letter ^f I being omitted. It will be remembered that
this ^r I is the sign of the past tense, and in this case it is not
required, as the y/ ftre? thik is already in the past.

The following is therefore the conjugation of the </ fkfWi thik

in the present tense. It is not used in any other tense.

1&6 Maith Hi Gramm ar. [§ 222.

=a

CM
 '

Verbs. Jthik.
§ 222.] Verbs Substantive and Auxiliary

of the
the use of this form
The following are examples of
present of the Verb Substantive.
First Person:-xfo* W* T« ** ***"* ** ™** W
fM jufttZ fcfcapd /«a» fcb, WW*-** *«* i a *ff alflfc
T ^S
shall take because I
am king
thikah*, the first portion I
of the forest.
***«*•, by caste
*TTf>r% ^ *fs=r r^jat* fee /mm nafft.

1 (fern.) am a nafin.

Second Person :—% fW^ tt* f% m ^n '

^ W¥ ^
cff

fair ^f^PT *f% »

^fsp* fsRftai **Tfa *J*TT II

kg to thikaha kakara kulaj~>ni I

binu paricaya naln deba pirhi pnni II

thikahu pathukajana rnja-kumnra I

for Maramf lafuflra |

dhani-ka bioya bharami (m.c. )

what family Without

'Who are you (respected) and of ?

previous acquaintance I give no

man a seat or water
Rajput and,^ separated from
my
'I am a traveller and a
;

world (Vid. lxxx, 2, 3).

^^
'

love, I roam over the

Third Person:-^* **** **" 6 * fl * rl * & "

dream
^
><Wi flWib, the song of
Dina (and, Bhadri is (like) a
sai
(to us).

f f^ sr* T^r ^t?fr I

bidynpnti eha gaola, sajani ge,

I thika naba rasa riti I

bayasajuga'a, sama cita thika, sajani gS,

duhn mana parama hulase II

friend. This is the way

(Saith) Vidvapati,
'
this I sang,

Their ages are equal, their

souls are m unison,
of new delights.
168 Maithili Grammar. [§ 223.

O friend. In the hearts of both is snpremest rapture. ' (Yid.

xxiii, 11, 12).

TOT ^T%* ^*T Wtftf"* ^ m*T ^TT *?ta takhan sal'hBs

kahait chathinh* jS '
Icon cor thik,' ? then Salhes says, '
who is
the thief '
?

V^P* n^ «i^«i JTT^ *h^T dhailaka taraha jehana gota thika,

he took every form which was (possible for him to take). (Man.
vii, 3).

Wt-i §\f* WTT TTT td-h* thik 1 mor mai, my mother is yon
also (i.e., you also are my mother).

^TT ** «rf^ ^qtf^f hamar sak nah* thik 1 , my power is not

(i.e., I am not able). Here, quite exceptionally, an inanimate
word is treated as a feminine, and has a feminine verb after it.

t *tar f%*TTT fwf i £ w*: qrnra fVwr fair f a^» fo'a»

thikaik ? I Skar ntham binn thikai, what calving (of the cow) is

this ? It is her eighth calving.

"^i««»f ^t ,

*M'viJi<!i fa*if*^

cSnana so anur&gata thikainhi,

bhasama curliabathi anga \

bhanahi bidy^pati suntai manaini

thikaha digambara bhanga H

He is painted with sandal-wood,

He smears ashes on his body.
Saith Vidyapati, hear, O Mena,
'

It is the god Digambar Bhang.'

(Vid. lxxxii, 6, 8).

\/ T^% rah, remain.

223. Instead of the verb </ ^w ach, the verb */ T^ rah

may be substituted, but only in the past tense. That is to say,
instead of w^t chali, I was, we may say ^c^t rahi.
§ 223.] Verbs Substantive and Auxiliary Verb*. J rah. 169

The verb */ r?% rah means literally '

remain,' and -when used
as a verb substantive this meaning is retained. The verb is
taken to signify '
I was such and such, and I remain so.' Hence
'
I remain '
is considered as equivalent to '
I was.' When used
in the sense of '
I was '
although the signification is one of past
time, the verb is therefore conjugated in the old present and not
in the form of the past tense.

The following is therefore the conjugation of the verb ^/ T^f

rah in the sense of the past tense of tbe verb substantive. It is

not used for any other tense of the verb substantive. In the
sense of '
remain '
this verb is conjugated throughout, and is

quite regular.

22
170 Haith Hi G,a m mar. [| 224.

3 3 **« si S
z

- f 6 2 •

"~
*
TO C
 Verbs Substantive and Auxiliary
Verbs, y/ rah.
§ 225.]

The following are examples of the use of the */ ^ rah as a

Verb Substantive.
instances of Hie nse of
Pen,,, .—I have not noted any
First-
It oecnrs as an
auxiliary verb.
this person as a verb substantive.

.—The same remarks apply.

Seconti Person

Third Pe«o» : W* WW It* T* *« **• ^^ ""^ '"'"

at) the tame
was not less than (that
raka naU yl.oii, (the erash)
plan, v, 39).
of the general destruction of
the universe

prime-nnmster
-
««».at manivf, in MithilS there was a
6,-,*,c 0I

named Vireswara.

mom ^i*^ fa^ra *nv i

gurakala gurakala bhirukalajae I

dui briccha akae «

/<rfae /-a/me (for rahai)

two huge
goes to where were
Rolling, rolling, bouncing, it

trees (Man. iii, 10).

* — 3 =,»= wr^a <k=, Wi jakhan dhai left chad

when you had seized me, then what

taUan oharab K raKau, (lit.)

you) « .. why did you let me go) .

letting go was there (to

mS rahaik, se-ho
*!?*«*-% T^* t-Tt **WS, teTp rauh

his mouth, he lost that also.

gamaulak, the bone which was in

sons.
man there were two (respected)
to a certain rich

several forms of the

verb
225 It is thus seen that there are
used as auxiliary verbs m
substantive. All these can also be
tenses. The «/ ** ach is the one
the formation of periphrastic
used in-
frequently meet the others
generally employed, but we
as, in the paradigms,
stead of it. This should be borne in mind,
with </ ^W acl,
confine myself to the forms
I shall in the main
 —

172 Muithili Grammar. [§ 226.

The following summary of the short forms of the 3rd person will
serve as a reminder.

or

^fT ah 1
, y he is

or

fsw thik

W^l chal, ]

or y he was.
T% rahe
J

226. The </ TT ho, become, as a Verb Substantive, and as

an Auxiliary Verb.

It will have been observed that the Verbs Substantive just

described are all defective, possessing amongst them all only two
finite tenses, — the present indicative, and the past indicative.
The remaining when required, are furnished by the
tenses,
corresponding forms of the ,/ TT ho, become. This verb is also
employed in the formation of some of the rarer periphrastic
tenses (see § 241).

The verb ^/ Tt ho is anomalous in several of its forms, and

will be fully described under the head of irregular verbs
(§322).
For our present purposes it is sufficient to note here the
following tenses, which are employed as auxiliaries :

(2) Present Conditional : — Tit ^h (^ ' I become,

(if) I be.

(4) Future Indicative :—^n haib or tYt^ hoeb, I

shall become, I shall be.

(5) Past Conditional :—-^Xr[f hditah n , (if) I had

become, (if) I had been.
The past is H^* bhelah*, I became. Tt is not employed
either as a Verb Substantive or as an Auxiliary Verb.
 —

Periphrastic Tenses. 173

§ 228.]

CHAPTER III.

Periphrastic Tenses.

227. In the list of tenses given iD § 194, the following are

periphrastic :

(c) (6) Present Indicative

(7) Imperfect Indicative
Formed from the Present Participle.

(d) (9) Perfect Indicative

(10) Pluperfect Indicative
Formed from the Past Participle.

Besides these there are six rare tenses, which can

theoretically

be made with the aid of the TT ho, become,Jas an auxiliary verb.

Hindi, but I have

They run parallel to the corresponding tenses in

met only one instance of them in my reading. They are dealt

with in § 241.

(6) The Prasent Indicative is formed by conju-

228. (c)
verb with the present
gating the present tense of the auxiliary
participle. Thus ^iff dekhait. seeing ft chi, I am ft
; ;
^m
Or we may have ^?r *f% dekhait ah\ he
dekhait chi, I see.
person for this form of the auxiliary) or
sees (there is no first ;

Of course, instead of ft chi, we

^?T fa** dekhait thilcah*, I see.
and so on. In all
can have fw* chiai, fWf chiau, fwfr* chiaik,

cases that goes without saying.

it is very common
In this tense (and also in the imperfect)
present participle, and to write it as
to drop the final cf * of the

one word with the auxiliary. Thus ^ft

dekhai-chi, I see. and so

character as one
throughout. Here, although -written in the Nagarl
compound This is seen in cases
word, the two do not form a real
does not end in $<( ait, but, as is
in which the present participle
preceded by a long vowel
the case with some vocalic roots, in T* it
does not
(see Chapter IV). In such cases the suffixed auxiliary
as it would if it was
bring in the rule of the short antepenultimate,
Thus, the present parti-
really compounded with the participle.
the present indicative
ciple ofthe / ^rr kha, eat, is *K<t khdit, and
v
 174 Maithili Grammar. [§ 228

is <aiv*l khai-chi, not^r?jft khaichi, I am eating. In translitera-

tion, T, therefore, insert a hyphen between the participle and the
auxiliary as shown above.

In the short form of Group I in the 3rd person there is a

further slight optional irregularity. For " he sees," the usual

(but not, by any means, the only) form is <[<sll[* dekhaich 1
or

even ^<gv* dekha'ich, as well as ^sf«T sgf^ dekhait achh* or <4i^fe

dekhai-achh 1
. It should be noted carefully that this is always pro-
nounced dekha-ichh* or dekha-ichh, and that the a and the i never
coalesce into if ai as is usually the case (see § 13). Here the two
letters always form two distinct syllables.

In the feminine, the feminine of the present participle ( ^'4?frf

dekhait 1 ) should be used. The final f?r t* is elided exactly like

the masculine ?r t.

It will be remembered that there are various ways of spell-

ing the pi>esent participle. We may have ^w dekhait, or «£<sl gd
dekhait or ^<gyn dekhaet, or ^f*r?T dekhayii. As explained in

§ 13, this is only a matter of spelling, not of pronunciation.

The following are therefore the terminations of this tense :—

176 Maithili Grammar [§ 229.

—
—

>
a
a
•**
T3

IN
 >

230.] Present Indicative. 177

§

•— -
xc 2
-
wo
ID

x c
t.

co 2 O o

-£ .2
be

S OB

X3

i-g
o
 : —

178 Maithili Grammar. [§ 230.

In the above paradigms I have omitted duplicate forms of the

Verb Substantive. They can easily be supplied.

It is unnecessary to do more than remind the student that any

other form of the verb substantive (^f% ah*, ^t hau, P«J<*T thikah z ,

&c), can be used instead of those given above.

The folio-wing are examples of the use of this tense :

First Person — aftf WFfT #t T^l ^T^T #t "?f% *rff SR#) ^TT
H*ft #t, gor lagait chi, paiya parait chi, eh* nah> jan a ll ahS, bhadri
chi, I clasp (your) legs, I fall at (your) feet, this I did not know
that your Honour is Bhadri.

HTTf^ft f%^ft, bhdi ciffhi likhai-chi, brother, I am writing a

letter.

^w w#t ^t^r ^Tfr -qr srrf^r ^tjtt wt^r* ^rfw w^ *rr*r,

dekhait achi (old form of chi) sukhal dar 1 par badil kaya bolait ach*
maran maran, I see on a branch the fearful crow is saying '
Death,
Death.'

*^ «rar? ff?T ft, bhed batae dait* chi, I (fern. ) tell an artifice.

?f? w^r -err: ^r *rrsrr y*$ ^rw^t ^refin^, eh kathd par ham1

toh a ru ek kahini sun a bai-chiah, w , on this account I (fern.) cause you

to hear (i.e., tell you) a story.

TW t ^rf%TT 5#?T fWfaf ^f ¥H* *TT^, ham, re ahira, puchait

chiauk bar sadh u bhab, I am asking you, cowherd, in a very
gentle manner.

*WTTO, an din dekhiauk (old present) kafaiyd bar sohdban, ajii

kataiya dekhai-chiauk bar bhaydban, on other days I see {i.e., used

to see) the Kataiya (forest) (about which you speak) very plea-
sant. To-day I see it very terrible.

Second Person : — ^T^rf^ # ^f^TT **f f ^TTW, kah a lanh* je

' ahira, kaha jcti-chaV (the present participle of ^aTT^ is j'ait,
not jaait, see §§ 282,310). (the respected Bhadri) said, 'O cow
herd, where are you (not respectful) going.'
 Present Indicative. *
™
§ 230.]

WTf? *T^ <?Tr*T 7^* Wl^t ^f "fr * ^^ ,n^ * ^« ^

a {
tah*
ft% %Wf, j&h* marad lay etek mag rumi dekh bait chat,
a

marad fee ham bara dike dekhab, the man on whose account yon
(fem.) show so much pride, I will see at Bara Dili.

% 5TPT T?4<dl <» ft 5#W ft %**<* ^€t ffa, he babu, habe-

lik ki puchait chi ? Musah'rah habeli chik, O gentlemen, Are you

It is the house of a Musahar.
asking (the caste) of the house ?

^n:r WZ\ «w€t, ham a r& beta jehan chath sS

^r^ wf* t ^W ,

(temper) there
khub janai-chi, you (fem.) know well what sort of
is to my son (i.e., what a temper he
has).

<*5TT W *\ht W* Tft *Tfr^T W^T\ ^W W^TT, kena ke marait

how are you hitting
chdh, ho bhagina, phof'ra pher bhel taiyar,
(him), O Nephews ? Photara is again ready (to attack you).

^ §(*J W *WW 3^f Tw^ sjff JKW1, ek tham rah* kd sivami ml

7ay Mai lor kdno math ml bails* ka datak gun

nah* lag a bai-chdh ?

kiai natf gabai-chdh, why do you not

remain in one place and
devote yourself to the contemplation of the Master ? Why do you
the goodness of the Giver ?
not sit in some temple and sing

kieka sabahu hoi-chia (the pre-

fw?H *TO ^Kfw «fa *S<3,

sent participle of v/^t Soften takes the form ^ff hoit, see § 322)
mati murha, why are you all of foolish mind (Manbodh, v. 22) ?

chiaintf,
W *N>f* K^T^r srff ^fw^ff
you (respected people) are not pressing (the
,

respected
ahft lok'ni takaja nah? karai-

person) (to pay his debts).

Third person :-WTWK m* .Wt * *I* ^ft ^W *fw, okar

traveller on the road takes

nam keo ne bat batoht dharait ach\ no
(i.e., utters) his name.

* TTT Vf^rr «sfw, phot'ra bara diha mi

WXZKX *TT ftaT
gai bhar'kabait ach\ Photara is scaring the cattle in Bara Dih.

W *f* ^ S wa m
ham'ra sabh k§ bhar a kabai-ach>, always on the
bark
w v?^K «w*a 6*** 1 hM
(the dogs)
* kaT

are scaring us (or causing us to quarrel).

180 Mai thill Grammar. [§ 230.

wft % Tfr* * ihP^frl ^rf?T *fw, bhadrl ke p%<: sai phajihat*

karait* ach*, to Bhadri she makes use of five hundred infamies (i.e.,

ahuses him).

ffriT^TT jjl^fe *rrf?PS 3^rT^r, tiriya puchai-ach 1 jatik fhekan, a

woman is asking <fem.) information as to (our) name.

Bidyapati bliana '

i7*o «a w'fca thika \

jaya bhari kara'ichi ninda '

II

Saith Vidyapati, '

this also is not right, the whole world
blames it' (Vid. xxxv, 6).

«q^|p«ff% TT?fw ^srr^t ii

jani jala-hina mtna jaka phiraichi \

ahonisi rahaichi jcigi |J

Like a fish without water, she twists and turns, and day and
night she remains awake (Vid. lxxvi, 8).

^V«(^f WtrHT ^nra> ifta; *3^P^ff, ap a nek otay katek motcalai-aliK

how many well-buckets are working in your (farm) ?

^rf*T-t*«r ^*TT WE '^"K*, sicami-dhan brtha nastho'ich (the pres-

ent participle of ^/tt ho is ^tlTT &oj'£, see § 322), my master's

property is being needlessly wasted.

^t ^if^rT *f*J, kebal al a $i ka swami bast u deabayit chath* ; kapat so

niralasl lok bhi khnyit chath 1

, (my) master is causing goods (i.e.,

food) to be given only to lazy people ;

(but) by means of deceit
people who are not lazy are also eating. (This and the preceding
are from Canda Jha's version of the Puricsa Pariksa, p. 51. Note
the spelling of the present participle;.

Cfal ^T ^*T *fw - dina ram kahait chath*, Dina Ram says
fso and so").
 Present Indicative. 181
§ 231.]

<t gfofif 1TTT f*TOU ^ «rft i" ^f^TWT^t J»tf*f«I, o lok a ni ga-

mSr thikah, je baUri k§ satyabadl bujhai-chath*, those people are

fools who consider enemies as speakers of the truth.

*Trf%f5T 3»T WifT f*?*r^t *sr*f«j, mnlin1 kar jor* minHi karai-
chath 1 ,
(the respected) Malini (name of a woman) is making sup-
plication with hands joined together.

mfn w\ aft^r^t ai ^PCPr . abait* chau goahl guj a rab, she is

coming to make you hear testimony.

*qmx fsrwt ^r*r w^r ^t wfw aft^TT ^mvs^ tt >^nr w^*,

amma nir a so, kalft sada, o ahira gonr sam&d nene abait chaik,

Mother Nirso, Kalu Sada, and Ahira the cowherd, are coming
with the news.

ym gfrfrWT ^f^T ^f W sT*f *faf, ek jan a bar dacchin sau abait

chauk, an animal is coming towards you from the south.

ffarr *ft 3Tf v^rta 3"C<t wf^s # ^frT ^frJi^f ^ft f^f, dfnfi

bftadri thnrh bhtlah, puchait chainh

1
je '
kon, loyak habeli chlk,'

Dina Bhadii stood, they are asking (politely) 'of what caste is
'
(this) the house ?

Wm ^r % ^f?T W*?tf% ^ ^?T W^ #t, kalu sada ke ka-

hait chathinh 1
je hamah" mu<ahar chl, they (the respected ones)
say (politely) to Kalu Sada that, '
we also are Musahars.'

fHsTT gWW^f% ^ r takhan puchai-chathlnh* campa, then (the

respected) Campa (name of a woman) asks (politely).

No example of the use of the y/Vq&i thik as an auxiliary oc-

curs in the above examples. 1 have failed to find such in litera-

ture, where it seems to be ouly used as a verb substantive. We,

however, occasionally hear it employed as an auxiliary in conver-
sation.

231. ((.) (7). The Imperfect Indicative is formed by con-

jugating the past tense of the Auxiliary Verb with the present
participle. Thus <^sr«T dekhait, seeing ; WW chalah*, I was ;
^TcT

WW dekhait chalah", I was seeing. Or we may say ^rT T?t

dekhait rahl.
 182 Maithili Grammar. [§ 231.

As in the present tense it is very common to drop the final

«T t of the present participle, and to write it as one word with the

anxiliaiy. Thns ^<sf*<^"J" dekhai-chalah z , and so throughout.

In the feminine, the feminine of the present participle

( ^^ffl" dekhait*) should be used. The final f?r t

{
is elided exactly

Like the masculine rf t.

As in the Present Indicative (see § 228) there are the usual

variations of spelling of the present participle.

The followinsr are therefore the terminations of this tense :

—
 184 Maithili Grammar. [§ 232.

In « "»
.svc o .S

c -
o a 2 O o «- .^
o
u
a •-

'S O^;
.p -is -<S

o o a a -g §
os
O
OQ o
-^
O o
*-• J3
«5
a- eg.
O tC

«
O OD 2 "5, "O •
fa
00
£ a

Q = ° « .« s
55 ;: -S-» c >« .2
£>
Q U C ±> B _e
J4
fa J3 O
EH 03 P —
° F B c
«.
•2 •
M -"S •

mO.5 «

*** * .1—,
~ -U U

JO
3 3
.Si,;
X
a 3 DO 2 O"
:

"O •» = i a
o 03 O = IM
u o
S3 fa
P * S -"?
.,.2.2.0 ...

o
!

?-. a
Xl o •£*>
3 J3
*> ° & s " e
°"a
H I-

hi O «3
(D © T"

3 a J2
CD 2 °3

7J
CO
o~
« E

'MOSHtfd
 Imperfect Indicative. 185
§ 233.]

H3
(3

"*~
 ——

186 Maithili Grammar. [§ 234.

In the course of my reading, 1 have only noted this tense

in the third person. All three persons are heard in conversation.
The following are examples of the third person :

Wt *TT¥C BTf *<?T ^T*T f«f*T *<?T, o bShar tharh bhel hdth mi-
rait dial, he stood outside (and) was wringing his hands.

^TTT «ft f*r^?r WW ^ 3rtw T%, dfwS bhadrl jibait dial uhe
gabait rahai, (when) Dina (and) Bhadri were living, they were
singing {i.e., used to sing) that very song.

7^ *il«i*Tl' ^srrr *T *TW f^ft f<sf<sf*^T, e& mon a sl, bajar m§

baisal, citthi lilchai-dial, a scribe, seated in
the market, was writ-
ing a letter.

fs Ji^rfc jfhjTfr^r *rro *n: ?r^ft «rir ^f% wrr«pf%, ek gamar 1

goarin 1
math par mat a kuri dhails cat 1 jai-chal 1 (the present parti-
ciple of the t/vrr/fl is WR?ryaiY, see §§ 282, 310), a foolish milk-
maid was going along with a pot of curds on her head.

234. (d) (9). Perfect Indicative.— This tense is conjugated

intwo ways. The first form is the one most commonly met with,
and is made on the same principle both for transitive and intran-
sitive verbs. All that is necessary is to take the corresponding
form of the past indicative and to suffix to it the third person of
the present of the auxiliary verb,— usually in the form
^fw ach* or
^ff ah Note that in whatever person the verb may be, the
1
.

auxiliary is always in the third person. Thus :

Past, ^Wjr dekhHah", I saw.

Perfect, ^w| ^fw dekh a lah s ach { or ^3# ^f? dekh a lah n
ah %
, I have seen.

Past, ^t^t dekhal, I saw.

Perfect, ^ro^jfw dekhal adi* or ^n? ^f? dekhal ah 1 , I have

seen.

Past, ^W^ dehh ldh, you saw. a

Perfect, fw? ^f<* dekh'ldh ach* or f W^ ^ff dekhfil&h ah 1

you have seen.

 187
§ 234.] Perfect Indicative.

Past, %Wtg* dekhHak, he saw.

(or ah 1 ), he has
Perfect, ^«* <* (or wf%) dekh'lak acV
seen.

Past, p# sutHah*, I slept.

(or ah*) I have
Perfect, «ira| <w (or *ff) sut'lah* aeV

slept.

Past, ^rT^rf? sutHah, you slept.

(or *ff) «*•!» ach* (or a/. )

1
you have
Perfect, vrefo *fw
slept.

Past, ^fT# sutHai, he slept.

sutHai ach* (or ah*) he has

Perfect, «!!%*tw(or*rf¥)
slept.

third person of
remembered that the short form of the
It will be

the past tense of transitive verbs ends

iuHak (thus ^WP dekhHak,
case of intransitive verbs it ends in al
he saw), while in the

(*£*<? sutal, he slept). We never say ^W* sutHak. In the per-

form ^njPS sutHak is regularly employed,

fect tense, however, the
Thus ^rr^Rf ^fw (or wf*)
and is, indeed, the customary form.

sutHak acti (or ah 1

), he has slept.

mode of forming the perfect is well

The origin of this
It will be remembered that all the
illustrated by this last form.

terminations of the past of transitive verbs and

most of those of
pronouns in the case of
the past of intransitive verbs are really
means by me,' W* ak, means by him,'
the agent. WW ah*, ' '

and so on. Thus ^W+^| dekhH + ah*, means ' seen-by-me,'

i.e., I saw, and ^W+^ dekhH + ak means 'seen by him,' he

saw. Adding wTw ach- (or «*f* ah*) we get ^W+^| «*f*

seen by me, a sort of impersonal

verb
dekhH + ah* ach\ (it) is

with the resultant meaning

'
I have seen.' Similarly ^W+*H*
seen by him,' i.e., he has seen. In
*fw dekhH + ak is
'
ach* is, it

^T^ sutal, meaning simply 'asleep,'

the case of intransitive verbs,
the Hindi past participle *i*T s5ya,
is a past participle, employed like
 —

188 Maithili Grammar. [§ 235.

to mean 'he But if we want to say 'he has slept,' we

slept.'

must make an impersonal verb ^rT^+^ff mfw sutH + ak ach it 1

,

is slept by him, i.e., 'he has slept.' ^r^f sjf* sutal ach* (see
below) would mean rather '
he is asleep.'

This one case of the use of ^d^* sut'lak instead of ^fn?

sutal the only instance in which the conjugation of this form
is

of the perfect differs from that of the

past (omitting, of course,
consideration of the added
^fw ath' or wf% ah 1 1
), and it is quite
unnecessary to give a table of the terminations.

235. The following are examples of this form of the per-

fect :

First Person :— 3Rf «P*?J xraT^Tsf ^f* t ^fa %rf, ek bakas

pathaol (see § 273) ach 1 , se ahak het u , I have sent a box, it is for
you.

^TTrT *rf*T # t^t" ^ff, svpat bic 1 ke dell (see § 314) ah 1

, I

have given in bai-ter (

lit. having sold) the full weight.

CN<?i| ^fw, rop a lah n ach 1

, I have planted (see below).

WTT 9F ^T(^frf% mfw, aha ke kholaol 1

(see § 273) ach K , I

(fern.) have caused you to be freed.

Second Person :—w& f^r^rsf «<? wf* ^ ^TTr ^ffV

,
f^T ^f^ *
^T^T W%, Icon jian bhel ach, 1
je ham a ra baLlh 1
del (see § 314) ach 1 ,

se hnl hah, explain what fault has occurred that you have bound
me.

eh* ber* kusinr rop a !ah" cuh* (2nd person) ba nuh* ? Kun$r tS,

rop a .'ah s ach* (1st person), this time have you planted any sugar-
cane or no ? I have indeed planted sugarcane (but it has not
turned out well).

Third Person : —<*«K ^*JTT fsTWT dl<*^+ ^f?, kebar ammo.

nir a su thok a lak ah' 1
, Mother Nirso has shut the door.

^far Vlft flfr JT^rf^ rpgiT ^T p^R ^gfV } diva bhadrl mar 1

gelainh}, ta'cha" pher ailanh ath 1 l

t
Dina and Bhadri died (past),
then (i.e., now) they have come {perfect ) back again.
 Perfect Indicative.
189
§ 237.1

^T ^5 3TT? *fw, sand* dSh* pnroy, auro

^KT *fe T^fr*
weight, more also has
bakie rah'lauk ath\ give the goods in full
you) you have still to give more
remained in arrear (with (i.e.,

to make full weight).

236. The second form of the perfect is not so common as

form. It is made in exactly the reverse way to the
the first
form. Here it is the present tense of the
method of making the first

auxiliary verb which is conjugated with the past participle. In

is put in the instru-
the case of transitive verbs the participle
^sift dekh'li chi, I have seen-or in the
mental case,— thus
^3% ft dekh'lS chi. In both of these forms
locative,—thus

often substituted for * especially by the vulgar —thus

* n is I,

dehh'nS chi or *«% ft dekh'nB chi. The past participle,

f *5 ft
locative, does not change for
whether in the instrumental or in the
gender.
past participle is in the
In the case of intransitive verbs, the
for gender. Thus
nominative form, and is liable to inflection
I have slept. This
^sm ft sutal chi, fern. ^lf% ft sutal' chi,
(in fact generally) very
form of intransitive verbs has very often
the meaning of the perfect tense
about it. *8?T* ft sutal
little of

chi, for instance, generally

means 'I am asleep' rather than 'I
the sense of the perfect is quite
Sometimes, however,
have slept.'

plain. Examples of both uses will be found below.

termination of this
It isunnecessary to give tables of the
verbs the past participle (in
form of the perfect. In transitive
unchangeable (either for person
the instrumental or locative) is
changeable for
or for gender). In intransitive verbs it is only
the auxiliary
The only thing that changes for person
is
gender.
and of this any appropriate form
may be used.
verb,
of the perfect
237. The following are examples of this form
:—
of transitive verbs

First Person :-^N> ^W ^* ™ ** *f* ' ^™

IW mot tS Jaift-W chi,
fc
W

«** ft ap'vek otay katek mot calai-aW ?

are in use in your

how many well-buckets (worked by cattle)
well-buckets.
(farm) ? Well, 1 have yoked three
 —

190 Maiihili Grammar. § 238.

^T y*<J «K4l *T ^^W ^fe-^T ^r% #t, km e&°m mar a ba m§

hahut daur-dhup kaile (see § 306) c/*i, I have made great exertions
in killing it.

Second Person : —f ^ff%#t «rf% ^T% W^, I kahini nah* sun a ls

chdh, have you not heard this saying ?

I have not noted in literature any instance of the occurrence

of the third person of this form of the perfect of a transitive
verb.
The following are examples of the use of this tense in an in-
transitive verb :

First Person: — +K<<* ^^^ wt, saberekcalal ehi, I have started

(i.e., I started) at dawn.

"g^T^ Jnrr ^ifr W ^r^r #t, sundh ganga, cor 1 kai del (see

§ 312) clri, hear, Ganges, having committed theft, I have come

(or am come).
I have not come across any example of the second person.

Third Person : — TTrfT «jf\^T f^TT *Tf TTf^T «^ ^ffjF, pani ba-

ris a ld bind bar han 1 bhel (see § 322) ach\ owing to the rain not
falling there has been great loss.

<%*;w*m T^f W^. w vv^ ^ft *r ^iP* tt^t wfw f% ^«»<, i

^T T^ ^rf^r T^T ^f*, dgur sabhak ehan gucch sabh pdkal tatfi tnS

lutak 1 rahal acJi*, ki jak a ra sa ras cub 1 rahal achK such ripe bunches
of grapes having hung from the trellis have remained (i.e., are
there), that the juice has remained dripping (cf. § 342) (i.e., keeps
dripping).

# *raW wfw ( v.L wfa) WPC7T rftf%, se janamala achi (or

chathi) ma rata tdhi, he has taken birth (who) will kill thee (Man.
i. 377).

«TTf? wr^ w afrcr #^ t *tt^; w^t wfar ^r?r i^fa vtt,

jdh* marad lai jdban seb a l§, se marad baisal chauk deb a hn nadlk
dhdr, the man forwhom you kept your virginity, that man is
seated (for you) by the stream of the river Debha.
238. The Pluperfect Indicative is formed on the same
principles as the second form of the perfect, substituting the past
tense of the verb substantive for the present of the verb substan-
 — —

§ 239.] Pluperfect Indicative. 191

tive. Thus ^W dekh'le, &W% dekhHe, ^^ dekh ^PT a ne, de-

kh a ne) WW chalah", I had seen ; ^gfl^f WW chalah™,

sUtal I had

slept. Instead of WW dialah", etc., we may as usual have T#t

raht, etc. There is nothing corresponding to the first form of the

perfect ; we never meet forms like fwt W^T dekh a lah z chal.

This tense not only has the sense of a pluperfect, but is also

used to signify that the action happened a long time ago. Thus,

^^? WW dekh a le chalah* means either 'I had seen,' or 'I saw a
long time ago.'

I have given ^?T^T WW sutal chalah* (fern. ^?rf% WW sutal 1

chhalah") as the form of the pluperfect of an intransitive verb.

It is necessary to add that natives of Mithila tell me that (in
this t^nse only) intransitive verbs may also be treated as if they

were transitive so that we can also have ^rr^" WW" sut a ls chalah u .

I have, however, never met such a form in literature.

It is unnecessary to give a table of the terminations of this

tense. The following are examples of its use in literature :

239. (a) Transitive verbs

First Person :—t& ffrsTi vfa% Wt $ Wffi <JV^3=, ham

toh'ra pahile hassl m§ ufaunB (see § 273 ff.) rahiah", formerly

(long ago) I ridiculed you in sport.

Second Person : — «PsTir "§ %ir (or W$ or %^ W% rP3«T WFf^ #t

)

TTt, jakhan dhai (see § 314) Me (or lenS or lene) chale takhan

charab ki rahau, when you had caught me, then what letting go

was there to you (i.e., why did you let me go) ?

Third Person :— *i>HI ^rfa 3TT #tef wf% *-^f\ I

§ ^»? ^lM«rl+ rrrft II

jatawa jani kara lene chali sundari \

se sabha sopalaka tahi II

The fair one made over everything to those from whom she

Here €^T lenB is shortened to #5T

had taken them (Vid. x. 2).

lene for the sake of metre.

 — : —

192 Maithili Grammar. [§ 240.

240. (6) Intransitive verbs

First Person : — TTf?T ^q ^rf^r WW sgaJT ( for ^TT^T ) fa<<*1

*T, rat 1
hum sutal chalah s appan (for ap na) a
sir a ki ime, at night

I was asleep in raj own tent.

Ji^f W^ri" gel chalah", I had gone. See next example.

Second Person : —qpft ^r ^Y?T5r ^ WW I ^trRT ^HC ^ir»

^fw I ^fafTT t^ >TO *«?l|, kathi lai otay yel chalah" ? otay liamar

khet ach 1
. Ok a ra dekhai gel chalah", why had you gone there ?
My field is there. I had gone to see it.

Third Person —W&f W* ^T ^fTQ f^¥lf< V Ji^T W*T, npa»i

sa&fr dhan uray bhikhari bhai gel chal, having squandered all his

property, he had become a beggar.

Tm TTT 3Tf% 3F *tt^ W^TT^, ram, ram, kah 1 ke uthal chalah,
crying 'Ram, Ram' he was arisen (i.e., arose).

^fVrr jfT^JTT *Nr 3uE3T vf\ «T^r T^, ahira goar gel kataiya,
bhadri baisal rahai, Ahira Goar went to Kataiya ; Bhadri was
seated (there).

^T«T #tt" Wrf% wf% ^fi^t, sat nidS siital* chal 1 phekuni,
Phekuni (name of a woman) was asleep in seven sleeps.
noted that, as in the case of the perfect, many of
It will be
the examples of the intransitive verb are not true pluperfects (so
far as sense goes) at all.

The v/tt ho as an Auxiliary.

241. In Hindi there is a set of periphrastic tenses formed

with the v/TT ho, become, as the auxiliary. Most of them are
very rare. As given in the grammars, under various fancy names,
they are :

^<siflT 'Trw, cal a ta hou, I may be going.

^WT ^Wjrr^ cal a ta houga, I shall be going.
^nrr TffTr, cal a ta hotn, had I been going.
^9T 'TT^f, cala hou, I may have gone.
^TT Tisrcrr, cala hougfi, I shall have gone.
^«« ^TrTT, cala hbta, had I gone.
 —

§ 242.] Conjugation of the Regular Verb. 193

It would no doubt, possible to concoct parallel tenses in

be,

Maithili, but I have never met any example of any of them except
one of the first, which, also, I may add, is the one which is most
common in Hindi.

The one example which I have noted is :

^fr^T f^*JT % ^fT 'Tr? 3T^S IWra , kon

-

disa ke abait hoai kalian"

bujhay, having explained tell (i.e., tell clearly) in what direction

he may be (i.e., is probably) coming.

It will be sufficient to dismiss this and the other connected

tenses with these remarks. I shall not refer to them again. If
met with they will be easily recognized.

In the following chapter I give a complete paradigm of the

conjugation of the regular transitive and of the regular intransi-
tive verb, with roots ending in consonants. The roots chosen as

examples are \/^i dekh, see, and y/lgfl sS ^i sleep.

CHAPTER IV.

Conjugation op the Regular Verb.

242.. In the following paradigms attention must be again

called to the regular shortening of the antepenultimate vowel as
explained in §§ 32 and ff and § 176. When the vowel of the

root is sgT a, the practice is to shorten it to ^r a, not to ^f a, un-

less this would cause ambiguity. Thus one form of the third per-

son past indicative of the v/^JUT lag, begiu, is ^fJT^T lag a lai, not

^rTJT^T ldg a lai, because in Maithili there is no v^f lag, begin,

with which it can be confused. But the long form of the first

person of the same tense of the ^AnT mar, strike, is *iK<ji mar a lai,
not HT^T marHai, because the latter might be confused with the

*rrlr mar a lai, he died, the long form of the third person of the

y/ mar, die.

25
194 Maithili Grammar. [§ 243.

pq
§ 244.] Present Conditional. 195
196 Maithili G-ramma) [§ 245.

•e
§ 249.] Mild Imperative. 197

246. Mild Imperative.

Second person. — ^fw% dekhihs, ^fe^ dekhid, ^f*§3" dekhiyd,

tS^'Wi dekhidh, <£f<sK dekhihd, ^Pd^ft* dekhiank, ^fw^tt^ dekhi-

7ia.uk, ^fUl-^p^ dekhihaunh 1 , <f*3f fa dekhihath

1
, ^^^tf% dekh a -

bahinh 1
,
please to see.

247. Respectful Imperative.

Second person. — <£<st«?l ofTT dekhal jai, \^^ WT^gT dSkhal jao,

be pleased to see.

248. Respectful Future.

Second person. — ^sT^T 5TT3RT dekhal jaet, ^sf^T ^JTPfT-JT dekhal

jdet-gd, you will be pleased to see, be good enough to see.

249. Future Indicative.

First Form. — This is the same as the present conditional (a)

(2), to which the termination jt gd (poetically jt gai or jt? gae)

may optionally be added. Thus %^t dekhi or ^f*t-JT dekhi-gd, I

shall see.
198 Maithili Grammar. [§ 250.

•9
§ 251.] Future Indicative, Third Form. 199
200 Maithili Crrammar. ES 252.

•e

03
 § 253.] Present Indicative. 201

o
^ .5,
5.2"
d O
p -c
u
SO 5 IS 'IW -i; rg
p m
<£-/ 5 2
_ o *
IV « .„ p e
Ic fc |S Jc ^^
'1-
ro

§
a «-«
fee

S -?
W 3 - f|V

03
„• -• £
^, p ja «
HH 2 ™ O Cti -W fc, m -^ ° a
— • 3 v. o.

O J
~
8. 1 3 * - 00 *2
^-.20-7 NP
.
tj -£ ."S _ E
as to c «
O a a <->

a S a
o.e
DO

I— "T3

C*
l

-
O
PI
te * fr
JJ|Br o|^l9r

a
° 3 02 ^ O
- <fc"f * ifc
IC ti^."
b
'M' IKK
•^ » a w w 5 &
i

**
J*
&g a
. a>
o bo

3
eg <*h
o
o a>

£ «
43 O
3^
© O
110
© d
w
It "J"-'

ft §

O
fa

S
o
a
03 I

^3
202 Maithili Grammar. [§ 254.

c
 255.] Imperfect Indicative. 203
§

c c
F3 =

ill II
O S S — B
i
fiiumipiwip jrm/spp
-
C
c»
—-—S C c
,C
o -

'to' g

wc
5=. 2 «: g C
-£ a

— -*a
*~

to
(s5 g = —~ _=

o ec -« i - a s-

5 a Ei c ^ :

c c_

© r - to
=.M1!
~
!

<S
"
j:

5a —— j= <4-'
w5
c £ jT

-g
2
=
e
-
5 »^Vi
tr

3~ " "to-~

O »M
© —3
P< S •_ 7- c
S S -

« tcr

•^osaaa
204 Maithili Gramma?-. [§ 256.

03 ~=3
 Transitive. 205
§ 257.] Past Indicative.

—
 206 Maithili Grammar. [§ 258.

^
o «S -Sec
^ .X. & o C

§ m SO c

J?

OQiO "IF -g
IP
c
'IV

>
rl

O
a

ao
 Form. Transitive. 207
§ 259.] Perfect Indicative, Second

a. .is, i« « E
2 ais'-

«3
 208 Maithili Grammar.
[§ 260.

,n
S !~°o.2,~ 0EJ u u S
O 3 C J2 r
- t»EC o

-/ B
5 2-SS IF -
» «
?|P « ?IF
co J. O I
V c
fc* £ 1§.2

2 -ta W " ."£

be
a. ®'E S 2

2 *
Eh

<
P

>
43
o
2 x
- ® s o o
5

§
3 -MsO !
CO c .

ft
§ 264.] Conjugation of the Regular Intransitive Verb. 209

261. Verbal Nouns and Infinitives.

(1) f^sT dekh 1

(or ^ dekh) (oblique form, ^i dekhai or

^^ dekhd), the act of seeing.

(2) f*^ dekhab (obi. form, ^3^7 dekh a ba), the act of seeing,
to see.

(3) ^t^t dekhai (obi. form, %?^T dekhHa), the act of seeing.

262. Noun of Agency.

^Wre dekh a bah or i£<a«ir^ dekh a wah, one who sees.

263. Participles.

Present: —^w dekhait (fern. ^rf?r dekhait'1 ), seeing.

Past :
—%w^T dekhai (fern. ^3f% dekhai 1 ), seen.

Conjunctive :— |f% dekh 1 {%m dekh) $fa , * dekh* kat, $fm w

d$kh> kef, or ^f?=r <*^ 'dekh kaikfi, having seen.
1

Adverbial : —^f^rff? dekhitafc, on seeing, in the act of see-

ing, immediately on seeing.

B. INTRANSITIVE VERB.
vAjrT sut, sleep.

264. It is only necessary to give paradigms of those tenses

of the intransitive verb which are formed from the past participle.
In the other tenses it is conjugated exactly like the transitive
verb.
As the intransitive verb has no direct object, those forms
of the verb which have special reference to the object, viz.
Groups III and IV, and the long forms in ^t ate of Groups I and II
can only refer to the indirect object. The mode of their em-
ployment is explained in § 189.

27
210 Maithili Grammar. [§ 265.

CJ

-e

£h

tc
 I /

§ 266.1 Conjugation of the Regular Intransitive Verb. 211

!8r •

m Z

M— / .s
<fcs B
JE'
=
P I;' C " O ; tc
a?
5 CD A -=» **
o

c£ -=: ec

°'2 §

>
— < - M—
Q
£3
2 I?
rt r * £
a *zr-

sE f|
212 Maithili Grammar. [§ 267.
 Verb. 213
§ 268.] Conjugation of the Regular Intransitive

o s
=8
& .2>'C .u ^"'C
P _2 O O ©
O ^ g '2* g0! c
£ M ja 2

—2"S
i <D

d 1?
2
•e
214 Maithili Grammar. [§ 269.

CHAPTER V.

Vocalic Roots.

269. The roots of the verbs conjugated in the preceding

chapter end in a consonant. If a root ends in a vowel, the same
terminations are added, but when these commence with a vowel,
changes, which require explanation, occur in the method of suf-
fixing them to the root.

The same is the case with verbs whose roots end in Wl^ ob, in

which the ^ b represents an older semi- vowel 3 v, which is, as a

general rule, ultimately derived from a Sanskrit xr p, Tbe conju-
gation of these verbs runs parallel with that of verbs in Wt a, but
at the same time differs from them in certain particulars. Owing
to the nature of these roots in ^T% fib, T class them as vocalic-

roots for convenience of treatment.

Vocalic roots may end in *5T S, ^T^ fib, X l \ i *> v e. ~3\ u or

^T o. They will be dealt with in that order.

Roots in Wt a and ^m ah.

270. Of all vocalic roots these tire by far most common.

Verbs whose roots end in ^r a include all potential passives (see

§ 333), a large number of intransitive verbs, and the transitive

verb */ 7ST kha, eat.
A'erbs whose roots end in ^5T^ 5b include nearly all eausals

and double causals (see §§ 334 and ff ), a certain number of tran^

sitive verbs, and the intransitive verbs ^/Hift gob. sing., v/msci iW

ljarh a tab, repent, and V/ '9T^ ob, come. v/^TW nb is irregular in

some of its forms and will be dealt with in § 312. although in

this chapter I have freely used regular forms in the examples.

V /JTT^ gob follows the other roots in wre ob. except that as they

are transitive and it is usually intransitive, it in such cases takes

the intransitive forms of the past tense.-. When used as a tran-
 .

§ 272.] Vocalic Boots in ^5fT a and ^T^ ab. 215

sitive verb it is conjugated as such. Thus, — JirafT^f gaol, he sang

(intransitive) ; but (Vid. xxiii, 11) ?^ an^T^f eh gSol, I sang this

( transitive).

271. As a great, many verbs have both potential passive

and causal forms, we frequently notice pairs of each conjugation

running side by side. Thus from the ^/^ dekh, see, we have

the potential passive ^/^T dekha, be visible, and the causal

v/ ^M dekhab, cause to see, show. The past participle of the

former would be ^31?^ dekhael and of the latter ^sTT^fW dekhaol.

^f^Tf dekhailah* would mean '

I was visible,' <<sh^| dekhaulah*
1

would mean '

I caused to see.

The following are examples of these roots, with the past parti-
ciple in each case :
—
A. Verbs in WT a.

Root. Past Participle

^SfT dekha, be visible, iWTV^l dekhael.

W^r agha, be satiated, W^TW aghael.

VWS1 ghab ara, be confused, «R«I«><?I ghab°rael.

T3^?TW har a barael.

^^^ har'barS, be flurried,

*=tt kha, eat, . ^H^T khael.

B. Verbs in ^TT^ ab.

t^PT dekhab, show, ^JWfa dekhaol.

pab, obtain, *X*?m paol.

TTTW

jrrar gab, sing, arTOfa gaol.

TTWTC pach a tab, repent. *nrawfo pachHSol.

272. As usual (vide §§ 32 ff) the termination fflflor ^T^ ab

is liable to be shortened in the antepenultimate. It is usually,

however, retained long before a final 3* ai or <t au. Thus m?

pahai. ^T^^ pabau, as explained in § 176. Before ^?f ait of the
216 MaithUi Grammar. [§ 273.

present participle <^T«i ob is as usual shortened, as in v?tf pabait.

Verbs in <^t 3, on the other hand, make the present participle as in
WfTrT khdit or ^Tf^rT khayit.

When the final vowel of a root in <^T a conies before a termi-

nation beginning with ^ or, the two together become ^r? ae.

Thus mj kha + <^ a becomes WTP^S khael (really for w*T*T

khayal, with euphonic ^y inserted), eaten or I ate kha +

; *sTT <*«r ah
becomes ^rj^ khaeb, to eat or I shall eat. Before f ai, it

usually remains unchanged, as in ^Tjrr^ dekhdai, he sees, but in the

present participle, the termination ^rf ait becomes Trf it, and
before the ?; i the ^t a either remains unchanged or inserts a

*T y ; thus, as above, ?3TI7r kha it or sa fqH khayit, eating. i As usual

(see §§ 11, 14) often employed for
?; i is
? e, and vice versa, so that
we may meet forms such as ?3TT<?T khail, mT? khaib or ^T?*r khaet.
In all these cases, when the *hj a is shortened under the ante-
penultimate rule, the two vowels together become ? ai (often

written, as usual WT ot or ^? ae, see § 13). Thus 4^rir khuilah*.

I ate, Tg^ khaibai, 1 shall eat, *??|- khaitah* (if) I had eaten.

273. With roots ending in grR' ob, the procedure is some-

what different. As a general rule, before ^ o, the WH db plus

W a becomes ^rwf So. Thus ^sHR dekhab + ^ a& becomes

^^T^fa dekhdob (poetical form; for the usual form see below). I

shall show ; ^TC dekhab + ^r at becomes ^rr^f^f dekhdol, I

showed. In the form ^WT^ftl dekhabath (3rd person, Short Form, 1

Group II, Old Present), the ^ b is preserved unchanged.

Before terminations commencing with ^ ai or ^V au the ^ b is

usually retained. Thus ^T*J dekhabai, ^rpft dekhabau (3rd per-

son, Long Form, Group I, Old Present) ; Present Participle s£*lRrr

dekh a bait, with shortening of the antepenultimate. Before T i

or t ?, ^rre r*& remains unchanged, as in sf'srr^t' dekhdbt, I show.

 -i
ab. 217
§ 275.] Vocalic Roots in ^\ a and WT«r

assimilate
274. In the modem language there is a tendency to

ab to that of those in ^T
a. A
the conjugation of roots in WK
many optional forms are
glance at the paradigm will show that
In the 2nd verbal
noun
borrowed from the latter conjugation.

w has almost ousted the

in the future the conjugation in
fl
and
poetical form of the
original one. We have just seen that the old

dehhaob, I --hall show.

first person future was ^BWfa
modern language it is, however, always ^WT^ dekhcieb. A refer-

original
ence to the paradigm will show how completely the
It has only survived
o-conjugation has disappeared in the future.

in the third form of the tense.

the other hand, the past tense, the

one most frequently
On
The conjugation
employed, strongly preserves the o-conjugation.
gain a footing. In

^
has here entirely failed to
of roots in WT a,

in similar circumstances,
when a-o
this tense, and elsewhere
rule, the two adjacent
becomes **Y a-o. under the antepenultimate
written^ an. Thus, ^WW^I
vowels coalesce, and are usually

^Nr| dekhaidah*, I showed.

dehhaol or
take as the model of a
In the following paradigms,
I
•>75.

^n
^^^^
and as the model
root in wr I the JAM, be visible,

of a root in m «, */*" <**^ 6 '

The redundant forms of these

sllOW '
l

and long forms of Groups I and II. made

III and IV can be
two groups, and the forms of Groups
cases where any difficulty
from these without any difficulty. In
It is only neces-
likely to arise, I solve it in additional notes.
is
tenses, the verbal nouns,
and the
sary to give the four simple
easily be made from
participles. The periphrastic tenses can
only gave the
these materials. Even for the four simple tenses, I

most common forms.

have throughout
One other remark should be made.
I

This termination is very often

spoken of roots ending in *t* ab.
Mithila.
written wi* Sw or av, and is even so pronounced in South

we hear f^rft deMSwi or dehMvz,

Thus, instead of *«* dekhabi,
28
21-8 Maithili Grammar. [§ 275.

and so throughout. There is no doubt that in the best standard

Maithili the correct forms are those with *r b, though ^ to forms
will often be found in literature ( generally clue to careless writ-
 219
§ 276.] Vocalic Roots in ^T a and ^T^ ah.

- *£ *j -*-> p ~
M c f
e|-,
<N
,'W CS a s
—

P4
— -- « ^ -• '2 « -r -S

M
« 3 TW
a 5 ts

o - a a ?
'W' ^ £ ijir'

= *> " •-
2 -u
Q CP u
- CD •£ O C

O =5 =J £
- W °OT

» 2 o c
pi; g 5

CQ h O . 1 e<

at ,= C 'j
i-(

63 ^> ,C

3 P S

- -P, =- <B --

P P-
| 02 2 O7 'S '2

-= -2 -

K0SH3d
 220 Maithili Grammar. [§ 277.

=8

X5

o
u
-4->

•8

»- ^
§ 278.] Vocalic Roots in ^T a and WN 56. 221

o
>
ca
o
d

CO 3

o
EH

o
M
ca
222 Maithill Grammar. L§ 279.

—o
03
3
O

3
a
o
O
 •2-23
§ 280.1 Vocalic Roots in WT n and WTC ah

m H .fi i

|
= — - -^ 3 'IV

—— 3
— — -C — •

-CO ti
5 * ^ -i

- -IF
IF
£- -- E
IF
,&
15"'

32 — '£ -*= IP •_ f^

IF

3|W*>/

= IF o " IP IF | IF'

3 <IW
S 3 = 5i^ f|V -?
IP

1 ^F ^
1p"

r ^ c
*|F 1

a
IF S
'IV
 — .

224 Maithili Grammar [§ 281.

281. Verbal Nouns and Infinitives.

(1)

^§r*T dekhay (an optional ,

^'sTTfa dekhab 1 or ^<sllV de-

and usual spelling of ^^TT de- \ khay (often spelt <^TT dekhai

khai or ^sTr? dekhae), the con- |

or <^irr? dekhae), the act of

dition of being visible; obi. ^WT7 I

snowin g- Tne oblique form of

dekhae or ^n* AJftty. |

**** dekhabi is
*™ ****&«*
(with the usual variations of

spelling), or <£*srra dekhabd.

That of ^^rT^T dekhay is ^^T"?

dekhae or ^^T?T dekhay.

(2)

3[W?3 dekhaeb ; obi. ^*33T ^sTT^ dekhaeb ; obi. <f^r37

dekhaiba : the condition of being" dekhaiba ; the act of showing,

visible, to be visible. to show.

(3)

f WTJTO dekhael ; obi. ^i^T ^*TOfa dekhaol ; obi. ^rfa]

dekhaila ; the condition of being dekhaula ; the act of showing,
j

visible.

282. Participles.

Present.

^WS^T dekhait, seeing. ^¥cT dckh a bait, showing.

Pas*.

^^IJM dekhael, seen. ^^sfT^Y^f dekhaol, shown.

283. The following are examples of the use of verbs whose

roots end in ssjt a.

(a) (1) Old Present :

*«l«*i % ^tT ^3Tq ^ *?ft *TT I flfr ^JT*T, phofrS ke tir carhay
 '

Vocalic Roots in ^T 2 25
§ 283. ~i
a.

ke bhadri marai ; mar' jay, Bhadri having- aimed an arrow strikes

Photra. He dies.

*mri ^JTT % 75TW"t ' ayimat agur ke Jchao, who eats sour
«\

grapes ?

# 2RTif JW ^ *rf% Wrfa I ^ f fT ^ITf ""f ^^TTf^I II

^ f fr ^fj -y^9 I" ^rfa i ^ wfr ^pt ^t ^fc ^Tfa 11

se A-o»a thdma jatai nahl jathi \ kai beri aganahu so baharathi n

kai beri s<ipa dharae lai jathi \ kai beri cuna Join hadi khathi*

What place is there where he does not go ! How often does

he go outside the court-yard ! How often does he catch hold of a

snake and carry it away (thinking it a piece of rope) !

How often

does he eat lime thinking it is curds. (Man. iii, 2, 4).

( a )
(2) Present Conditional :
—
^ffTJTTS ?fr ^ITfiraf, nah* patiyBh* to abiht, (if) she do not
*fk
have faith in you. then come.

(a) (3) Imperative: —

vxx TP§ wrc *m ^ns sfrfroT *rr wsi *f* wra yar
rakhu mar bat, jah" jogiya ghar ... aha ghuri jau, friend, heed my
word, go home to Jogiya ... let Your Honour return (home).

^T wn? kahal a kainhl he amma, jdh

^^raff %
'
STF? ^nc, ,

jah ghar; he said respectfully,

' mother, go, go home.
pibah. cain kardh, eat, drink, be
irrs fa^ #T UK*, khah,
happy.
Precative Form .— ^fTf^T* f^T *T W$ kalhik din le jaih§, please

take (it) away tomorrow.

(b) (4) Future Indicative :
—
^r ««T *fJT?TT srrjF^ ^TT fa^TT, tinu mama bhagina jaeb

kataiya sikar. we three, uncle and nephews, will go to Kataiya to

hunt.
^TtT *3*fV^r % <*- ^sft ofriwr, hamflro samadhiya le ke jaibau

jogiya. having taken our message also, you will go

to Jogiya.

^jttt tor ^rfjr irf% I srfl ftwr^f ( for firanxsr, § 271) hawfl-

ra petak ag els s& naht mijhaet (for mijhdit),

h the fire of my belly

cannot be extinguished (potential passive) by this.

29
 —— —

226 Maithili Grammar. [§ 283.

^T^ tjfl<*i T^frff^ •rf^f «fdi'^, bobu sut a le raliHah ; nah* jaitah,
(my) sons wall remain asleep ; they will not go. W
*§?rta-^f^ % ^TW? Tiff, kaitdha-anhi se paralae brta, (if)

he will eat, a whole age passeth away (see § 1931.

(c) (5) Past Conditional :

«rf "frf «N<i «raf ^3 «i*ir^dT *iff wit vi^r ^fr ?^t
^l*^< ^ 'flffJT «lf% ^TfTT, y«" hamah s toh a ra jaka ann taulitah"
takhan ai pao bhar* emhar omhar sa mag nah 1 1
khaitah", if, like you,
I had (traded and) weighed out food, I should not to-day have
eaten after begging a quarter of a seer (of f,ood) from here and
there.

(c) (6) Present Indicative :

kah a lanh % je '

ahird kahajniehaT ? '
kah a lak je jai-chi gaik bathon,
he (honorific) said, '
Ahira, where are you (non-honorific) go-
ing ? '
he (non-honorific) said, '
I am going to (my) cowshed.'
€~^\ "q«T 5TTT7T ^ifV nJM?]* ^t^, theh a ni dhainS jait ach*

ur a sik dih, taking his crutch along with him, he is going to Ursi
village.

(d) (8) Past Indicative :

P^Tfl ^TWtT sTflT •rNlf% ^S+IP *F ^T^r, citta aor hiirar na-

gar* stit a kae kd parael, the leopard and the wolf, hiding their tails,

ran away.
(TOPI *j<H36 f*ff% *sTiy<s! fTTT, takhana sabahu mili khaela tfira,

then all, having united, ate (poetic for ^TO kliailak) the tal

fruits. (Man. v, 11).

5Wi%«T Tf^ y$ ^* T^TW^ (for M^l'^) agn*
,

'Sffir prajicalit

dekh* dhurt sabh paray a lah (for par ailah), seeing the fire blazing,
the knaves ran away.
(Note. — Here we have an honorific form used in its original

signification of a non-honorific plural. This sometimes occurs in

literature).

«T?f M^f*< y<slf*3 W*1 ^^£,jctta paulanhi (^/VTI pab) khailanhi

(x/WT kha) sabha basin, all the things that he could get he ate.
(Man. v, 30).
 :

'-27
§ 284.] Vocalic Roots in Wt a and ^T^ ah.

Verbal Nouns.

TRrtf ?t& ^r f^TT *ift ^ f^f^JT^T. e*«&£ bacuH stm* <2in<£

ifcadri gel khisiyay, so much words having heard, Dina and Bhadri
became angry. (See § 342).

The genitive of mq khay, the act of eating, viz., T3TFS khaek,

is used to mean " food." Thus UW W^TT HT *T ^T ^T!** **-*

ap a na ap a na ghar m§ sunnar khaek karE-gd. you will, each in your

own house, prepare beautiful food.

ssfTiTT STC- ^* ifT #ar *T?rft * ^TT ^ft ft, ond lent jaibe

to log kahHauje urh'ra urh*ri chu in taking them away with us

(i.e.. if we take them away with us)
in that way people will say

to you that we are each a pair in concubinage.

^ <^TiT ^?T W flT, neru heraint (for heraile)

jehana dhenu

gai, like a cow on losing her calf. (Man. iii, 17).

Present Participle :— See Present Indicative.

Cf. also fifwft ^TO W^ <3Tfw wf*, mral a si lok bhojya

khay it | for Wait) chathK people who are not lazy are eating food.

(Purush Pariksd, p. 51).

Past Participle : See Past Indicative.

Conjunctive Participle

heard the
satad sim* uthHifc dina bhadrik mdi cihay, having
being startled,
voice of Dhami, the mother of Dina and Bhadri,
rose up.

284. The following are examples of the use of verbs whose

roots end in wra ab.

:—
(1) (a) (b) Old Present, and Present Conditional

tS caM je bujh* jny, if. having done

softfc fcl fc7i» fcai tfcfcAab*

something I show it to them, then they ought to understand.

a
^fh ** afNrrft arsncw, abaif' chau goahi guj rab, she is

coming to you (that) she may cause you to bear testimony.

 — —

228 Maithill Grammar. [§ 284.

€tfw TTT ^f ^f^f *W qr?, 6fcA* frmm kai phaht sabha pae, they
all obtain as the fruit arrows (sharp as) scorpions. ( Man. x, 52).

^£?J ^fa" f^rw f^ir ^"«t % ^fsj ^?r^, sttf' w?7i' nit din suruj
he hath uthdbai, daily, when they go to rest, and when they rise,
they raise their hands to the sun (and prayY

(1) (r) Imperative:

t fV^rr 5?rr <Trf%T fa^f** ^^#t ^r^. >b dhiya puts, tahir
miyah Jiabeli dekhab, linlloa. girls and boys, show (me) Tahir
MiyS's house.

'^r? TT ^r^r 9#t ^arpfe, caldh, ho dada, dhuni uthabdh,

come. brother, lift up the brazier (of fire).

q^i<.«i *HRr % ^r^^r^f *fr^Tr*T, bahoran mama he ldb a hoh bolay,

having called uncle Bahoran, bring him (here).

(6) (4) Future :

(Old forms) :
—

athama bhae hama apanalu dob |

jehana banata punu tehana bananba ||

I myself will come, having become f incarnate as) the eighth

(child), as it will become (necessary), so will I bring it to pass.
(Man. i, 32).
Jir? *rf%f*T *rrturr ^TJrr^Tr^ i

wjz? *iw^ ?T5T *m "ysr vv%vn 11

yae mahisi sarahara lagaoba |

lufaba sakala braja fata dhana paoba I

I will contiscate to government his cows and she-buffaloes

and plunder all Vraja of all the wealth I can tind (in it). (Man.
vi, 23).

sp^t W T^T ^tf*T *r^T3iT«r, nandi so rasa riti bac/ioba, thou

wilt {i.e., shouldest) conceal the way of love from (thy) sister-in-
Law. (Vid. xl, 12).
 .

§ 284.] Vocalic Boots in «*i«r ah. 229

(Modern forms) :
—
1^ ^rf% w^*f jt^tt ^nrf res ^nc^ri wt^K *N^> ^«*-f^^\
^WPW, £/im5 a&ar* a/ja?j g a k ana Jeap a rah suharH&Faormuhak camak-
cimak dekhdeb, with much swagger I shall display the beauty of
(my) ornaments and clothes, and the glory of my countenance.
f*f ^q^^i V^f m*m *t(|«tJH *?^r 3i«r Jry^, fca«i ap anek bhal
manab aor sada yun (/neb, I shall revere you. and ever sing your
praises.

«l«d^l W55T *(|<&5 ^*? i *rf% n *ft* ^WWT?^, jal a di rupaia

asul karu ; uah* ta pichu pach a ta~eb. realize (honorific) the money
quickly ; otherwise you (honorific) will afterwards repent.

W: ^f%?r qi^T ^^ ^TTf%, ekara ucita phala paibaha (for

paibdh) kali, on the morrow shalt thou obtain the fitting fruit of
this. (Man. i, 38).

P*i«K«i *rrp wt «rft fiw i

kahuluka sojha hamara jo data |

jibaita jae rkaii nahz paota I

said they. * if they shall come before us, not one will obtain
(permission) (i.e., be able) to go away alive.' (Man. viii, 43).

^W ^fa «rr« crerfsj ^ ^fT«r ^far ^rf W%^ ^ftwr^, cam dis

bat takath' je kon <lis sau sal a hes autah, they watch the roads in
the four directions, (to see) from what direction Salhes will
come
(c) (5) Past Conditional :
—
wfsnrf «ft ?w^T * ^ft rT»TTf; ^^fw^, janitah* to bug a ha

m§ bar a dl tamaku lad a baitiai. if 1 had known, I should have

loaded a bullock with tobacco in Bagha.

*fr^Vt W*ir "<HbT «ft ^HJ^ W*ft Ttrw, jauhfiri ek a ia pabait,

to atyant khusi hoit, (if) a jeweller had found this, he would have
been very happy.

ifcrfig <^«JJm«1 3T^f^ oTTrsjT SffsrfT, autanlt', duragaman

karaitainh' 1
jamaiya jajar*. (if) they had come to Jljari, his sons-
in-law would have celebrated the duragaman ceremony.
 —

230 Maithili Grammar. [§ 284.

(c) (6) Present Indicative :

TIT ^Ttra? «n»T fw^rT ^t, mat bapak nam chip a bait chi, we
are concealing the names of our father and mother.

^T <i~N*J "P^f 3>f^»T] ^«T«(f*^S, hamtoh a ra ek kahini stm a bai-

chiah u , I am causing you to hear (telling you) a story.

«««ii<a) 1 TTW *J TTf r W^Tf T ~% *§^T«[fr "s^fw, kanaidi me sat sai

paftha akharha m§ khel a ba?'t ach 1 , in Kanauli he causes seven

hundred athletes to play (i.e.. do gymnastics) on his arena.
But:—
?3» ^ ^T9 1
^<H WfT«T ^fw WW5T WK, ek sai ekais dand
khelait ach* akharha par, he performs one hundred and twenty
exercises ( cognate accusation of an intransitive verb) on the arena.

*^T ȣ!% ȣf% W ^TT W ajf Vf^f^^fw, sada bhuk 1 bhttk 1 kat

ham a ra sabh ke bhar a kabai-ach\ they make us quarrel hy their

continual barking.

#t«J JH3" ^Wfr wf*J tinii ijote abait thathK the three (respect-
ed people) are coming.

W^fff ^ abait 1 chau, she is coming to you. (See under Old

Presertt).

xuf5f fa*T W^ff wfa #5T?T ^?f ifaf tTTTT, pani bin* abait
chauk, tejait abait chauk paran. without water (i.e., athirst) he is
coming to you, he is coming to you giving up his life (i.e., at the
point of death).

(d) (8) Past Indicative •.—

bidyapati eha gaola, sajanl ge |

1 thika naba rasa riti II

(Saith) Vidyapati, '

I sang this, friend,
This is the way of young love.' (Vid. xxiii, 11).

^^ 3fw ii*fW^r t^<^^i^ f^yi^D^ ^fiT^r ?W[T w£%

^Tr^ft^T, caudah kos pakaria caukidarl likhSoL corak banar nah*
 ——

WT* ab. 231

§ 284.1 Vocalic Roots in

to the police of fourteen kos

paol. I caused (letters) to be written
(round) Pakaria, and I found no trace of the
thief.

*» Wl^W ft, kl kahi kai ham*rli bandh

*t *f* * vrcr
did you (fern.) get me
kholaidlhK saying what (on what pretext)
released (from my |
bonds ?

9* i *&**, ek din ap'na beta sabh

?* f** wt W^T f*T o

kS bajaulak. one day he summoned his sous.

found.
bastu, he (Krsna) ate< all the articles (of food) which he

(Man. v. 30).

rf &aA«t bujhaul'kau he
TO ^V^SW 3*itW, to*W sabfc

remonstrated much (with them) with many words.

(a) (9) Perfect Indicative :

—

have sent a box, it is for you.

nhak het», I

achi then
t«khan ah « k§ kho]5oli
««« **T £ *rtn*lf* "«f*,
-

I (fern.) have released you.

-.—
(d) (10) Pluperfect Indicative

sport.
me
ig nraune (for «ra«Zg) «**»*•, formerly I ridiculed you in

Verbal Nouns :

(1) (Obi.) *TOF irf% WW * *T*, 3&ae «a/u ^«fcae se frarab

will not get (power) to come

(U.
you will do that (by which) he
obi. of Sb* >. (Man. vm, 46).
be able to come, abae for Sbai,

(3) Tx^rt^r ^« imf*, pach'taula sd kl bhai sakai-acW ,

what can happen from regretting ?

Participles :

Present-.— See Present Indicative.

sag'ro banal banad
Past: _^PCT TO WltftW *T ftafr ihsr,

castle in the air)

ghar bigar' gel, all (her) ready-made house (i.e.,

went to pieces.
 —

232 Maithili Grammar. 285.

[§

Conjunctive :

Vf\ ^rfa % TOT *f*J, 6W/7 rl6* ke kahait chath\ Bhadri.

having come, is saying.

W fa^fr? sfr ^tfiT *J ijff^v^^fg- crriTnr, sabh milSe kn tin' sat 1

Srt kicch u barh* jaet, adding all together there will be something
over three hundred.

^r?T ^ 3T <^T3f ^3T^, hath dhai ke lelalc uthay, seizing by the

band, raising (them i up, he took (them) (i.e.. he lifted them up).

Roots in T i and T l.

-bb. Roots in x i and f l are conjugated exactly simi-

larly, the only difference being that, according to the usual
rule, the long f £ is shortened to ^ i when it falls in the ante-
penultimate. Indeed the two most important roots of this class.

fa pi or ft pi, drink, and f^r ji or ^t ji, live, may have the i

either long or short.

As the model verb. 1 take the ^/fa si, sew. It will be ob-
served that in the case of the v/f% si there are a number of op-

tional forms, in which the letter «r b is inserted between two

concurrent vowels. In the case of the two verbs v/frr pi or ft pi,

drink, and ^f^r ji or ^t ji. live, it is important to note that

they almost invariably employ the forms witb «f b. Indeed. I may
say, that I have never seen or heard the forms without the ^ 6 in

the case of these two verbs, though natives tell me they can be
used. The fact is that in these two verbs the ^ is not inserted,
but really belongs to the root, as will be seen when we compare the
Sanskrit forms f^fff pibati, he drinks, and ^t^f?r ji vati, he lives.

It should also be noted that these verbs have their present par-
ticiples ftre?T pibait and f^pfrr jibait respectively, and insert ^ b

in other places, where they are not found in the case of v/fw si.

In order to illustrate the peculiarities of these two verbs, I give

the conjugation of ^/fq pi or ft pi alongside of that of yf% si,
§ 285.] Vocalic Roots in T i and £ I. 233

to facilitate comparison. In the case of x/fv pi or xft pi, when

there are two forms, one with long £ i and the other with short

T t, I only give the one with long t ?, and it must be remem-

bered that a form with short X i can also be used, y/fm ji or «fl

jl, live, is conjugated exactly like x /fv pi or ^T pi.

30
234 Maithili Grammar, [§ 286.

ID
j ^ o 2 a

5 £
*r^ r
o
i
M=

.2,-r o o
3 s j —2
co o Q

c — -° Ja

ft

to
GO
EN

=9
 28; Vocalic Roots in \ i and % ?• 235
§

m
©
>
a
a
t3
a

3
236 Maithi/J Grammar. 288.
[§

CO
GO
~1
§ 289.] Vocalic Roots in <£ i and T i- 237

X3
a
o
a

M
238 Maithili Grammar. [§ 290.
 —

§ 294.] Vocalic Roots in * i and t I. 239

291. Verbal Nouns.

(1) f% to; obi. 1%$- siai or (1) ifrfsf pib* ; obl.^fa pibai;

fw* sibai ; the act of sewing. the act of drinking.

(2) f%^«r siab; obi. fo^^T (2) ^W* piub ; obi. fte^T

st'a&a. fo^T w'6a ; the act of jsittba ; the act of drinking, to

sewing, to sew. drink.

(3) f^f^T sial ; obi. fo^lT (3) V\W^[ piul : obi. <?W^i

siala, fom sila ; the act of P^la ; the act of drinking,

sewing.

292. Participles.

Present.

fVw*T pibait, drinking.

s«Vu'£, sewing.

f%^f sial, fa^W siuL, sewn. f»T3^r pitil, drunk.

293. It must be added that the root 1% si also sometimes

takes the forms of </ fv pi or ^t £>* ( compare Sanskrit *Tl<*jP<i

sivyati, he sews), but those given above are the usual ones. These

three roots ( f% si, fa pi, f& ji) are the only roots in i; i which I

have come across.

294. I have met no examples of ^/ f% si in literature, but

the followiDg are examples of the two others :

(a) (1) Old Present:—

v^rfr fa<qmfa ijf TO *ft* i

bhanuhi bidyapati tau paya jibe l

adhara sudha-rasa jau paya pibe II

Saith Vidyipabi, '

it (the bee) will live, so long as it drinketh
the nectar of (your) lower lip.' (Vid. ii, 5J.
240 Maithili Grammar. [§ 294.

^frfVfcT JT^TT qjfajisjr WIT I

^#

lobhita madhukara kausala anusara i

naba rasa pibu abagahlW

The bee, tempted (by its sweetness), cleverly searcketh for

it, and. diving (into the lotus) sips the fresh honey. (Vid.
xxix, 2).

jai piabiai adJiara sudha rasa i

tau puya jiba th i jibe II

Having gone (to her), cause her to drink (causal verb) tlie

nectar of thy lower lip ; then may she indeed live (present
conditional) (lit., live with life). (Vid. x. 10).

^ ^f^ mi fai sr irrfir ii

jaimma hrada bikhabata kaijani I

£>asS pacchi kyo pibai na pdni \\

Knowing the pool (in) the Jamuna (to be) like poison, no
beast (or) bird drinks (its) water. (Man. iv, 20).

<TT TT; WIT fTT«PT T^T ij^t JT I

^rw ^ mdiPi ii

£fl para bhamara pibnya (for pibai) rasa, sajanl <je |

haisala pankha pasari I!

On it, friend, a bee drinks nectar, seated with outspread

wings. (Vid. xv, 6).

(a) (3) Imperative :

—
^F"^ D-c^ ^T 3TT^, A7/rt//. pibah, rain karah, eat, drink, be

happy.

^«T ^[WTJT S^f^f 3ffa <T^ »

 — .

§ -91.] Vocalic Roots in ^ i and f i. 241

juga jv.gajibathu, basathtc lakha ko$a \

hamara abhaga hunaka kona dosa \\

May lie live for ages (even though) he dwell a hundred

thousand kos (away from me). my
It is misfortune. What
fault is it of his ? (Vid. lviii, 2 )

(6) (4) Future :

—

^ ffa ^ art ?<* sp ?nn^ f, 'fo lcam«ra gaik dudh plbe I muh
bhelauk pibaik re o^Va, dudh plbai
! ' '
>*a/z\ debs, to eh jum
tamaku cZe/ 'you will drink the milk of my cow you have made !

(Int., to you thei-e is become) a mouth for {lit. of) drinking! 'If '

yon will not, O cowherd, give me milk to drink, then give me

one mouthful of tobacco." (Also example of 1st Verbal noun).
?mre ^re ?r ^Wf?r TPTt, niadhaba aba, na jiuti rahi, Mad-
hava, come. The fair one (fern.) will live no (longer) (Vid. x, 1).

(c) (6) Present Indicative.—

^•" ,IT? ^ f? ^ fa** *f*

f
3WT ^, sf»a pfii'fc cZj«ft lai
pibait ach* gidamijat, Gulami Jat takes and drinks the milk of the
cow Sina.

(c) (7) Imperfect Indicative :

C^TT *?ft Hjiqn W^T ^% JTWfT TT, diwfi 6/iad/-i ;76a# c/iaZ uhe
gabait rahai, when Dina and Bhadri were living, they used to
sing that (song).

«rr fw€*r ww? ^t»rr *rft «flfij«ir jhtt ^rfrft gvref^ irfi
^r^Rf iwrT, J 5 jibait chalah dina bhadri jogiya nagar, kauno
musahar<*nl nah* kailak sTgar, Dina and Bhadri were living in if

Jogiya town, not one Musabar's wife would (have dared to) adorn
herself. (Here the Past Indicative is employed in the sense of
the Past Conditional).

(d) (8) Past Indicative :—

F^r ^3W fffsr -crs r^«j jfr^r i

31
 — —

242 Maithili Grammar. [§ 294.

ehana baesa teji pahu paradesa gela I

kusuma piula (for piul ah) makaranda H

At such (a tender) age my lord left me and went to a far

country. (There) drank he the nectar of the flower. (Vid.
lxvi, 8).

^fr *rfr TO f*T3^T ^^ -^<f<a, hari bkari peta piula (for piulak )

dudha harakhi, Hari joyfully drank his bellyful of milk. (Man.

ii, 51).

Verbal Nouns :
—
(1) For xffa pibai (obi.) and f^^f pibaik (genitive), see

example of future. So also f*^ ^y ^ffT ^rfw I ^TT W» H fam

MfK W Mild W^f, kicch u dudh dait* ach 1 ? nena sabh ke pibaik bhar*
hhaijait chaik, does she give any milk? There becomes the fill

of drinking for the children (i.e., she gives all that is wanted for

the children).

f5R"? f^^^t ^T ^T^TO %1, jibae (for jibai) diao baru bdlaka
leb, allow (her) to live, but, rather take the child. (Man. ii, 8).

^TTT^ Wt f*rfw ^T^ *Tlf«T, abaha (for abdh) baisaha (for

baisdh) pibi laha (for Idh) pani, come, sit doWn, take a drink of

water (pib* Idh is an intensive compound, see § 342). (Vid.

lxxx, 4).

Present Participle :

f*HVl ;5T5 C
TFVt ^ff% vntl«f, jibaita jde ekau nahi paota, not

one will be able to go away living. (Man. viii, 43).

fsHd T^Jf *ft M~lffl*JI <<H'cf Wf^T, jibait rahait to joaiya abait
palaP, (if) they had remained living, then they would have re-

turned back to Jogiya.

^3"f% ^T%^ ^f ^TT^ra? vft VT: ^P£ f^*f, dekhal* sal a hes k§
kalalak bhatthi par daru pibait, I (fern.) saw Salhes drinking
spirits at a grog-maker's still.

Conjunctive Participle :

41 mi »r^t ** M I f*f 1
?tf% <ir ^nTT ^fr^", bauram nadi ml pani
pib* ke upar hoai, he is (coming) up, having drunk water in the
river Bauram.
§ 296.] Vocalic Roots in H e, ^i u, and *ff 0. 243

Roots in ^ e.

295. Only two roots end in ^ e, viz. \/\ de, give, and % /e,

take. They are irregular throughout, and their conjugation will

be given in chapter VI (§§ 314 ff).

Roots in ^ m and WT o.

296. These are conjugated as follows. It will be seen that,

as in the case of verbs in ?; i, a ^ 6 is often optionally inserted.

Sometimes we find *r y instead of ^ b. This is practically the

only irregularity.
The model verbs are v/% cu, drip (intransitive) and v/tn
dho, wash (transitive).

The most important of the roots in ^fr o is the ^/ iff fo,

become. This is very irregular, and will be conjugated in

chapter VI (§§ 322 ff ).
244 Maithili Grammar. [§297.

PS
O

o
©
u
ft
§ 298.] Vocalic RooU in ^ u and *ft 5. 245

fi
246 Maithili Grammar. [§ 299.
§ 300.] Vocalic Roots in ^» u and *fr o. 247

to B * T3

^ c
« DQ
<c

-a .a js
O
- . - -—
2 ° 2 6

i o o
•-T»

B 2 "c o
1

a
a
O

=
—
24S Maithili Grammar. 301.

o
 — —

304.] Vocalic Roots in *> u and vt o. 249

§

302. Verbal Noun.

(1) *ft cub 1 ; obi. ^ c«6o*', (1) *t dAo, ifrT dhoi, ifrfw

^ cSaa; the act of dripping. d&d&* ; obi. vtU

-

dhqai, VTW

dhoba-i ; the act of washing.

303. Participles.

Present.

<9WH cuat, ^TK cuit. *f$H cuait I

vrww dfcoa*, *T!Rt d&oef, VT^fT

dripping. dhoa.it, washing.

Past.

^JTO c«oZ, ^7^ ca*7, dripped. |

^W^dAoaZ, WT5TO dfcoeZ, washed.

Probably ^ 6 can be inserted in many more forms than are

given above, but I have not met them. In conversation, a good
deal depends on the personal equation of the speaker.

30-4. The only example of the use of a root in ^ u which 1

have noted in literature is the following :

«r^TTT ^ T^ ^f% T^*f ^f*, dekh a lak je dgftr ehan gucch sahh pakat

ach\ ki jak a ra sa ras cub' rahal ach he saw

1

fafti me lafak'1 rahal .

that such bunches of grapes were hanging ripe from the trellis,
that from them (lit. from which) the juice kept dripping Inten- (,

sive compound, see § 342).

Examples of roots in ^T 6 are more common. Such are :

(a) ( 1) Old Present :—

$to fro ^wr ^\WK fit WfH t?T? TT3T I

ek roye ama ; dosar robe canna, hae hay ;

tesar robai dudh char balak a iva,

1
re, hae hay.

One (person), the mother, weeps; a second, Canna weeps,

alas, alas! A third, a child leaving (its mothers) milk, weeps,
ah ! alas, alas !

32
 — — —— — )

^50 Maithill Grammar. [§ 305.

[a) (3) Imperative:

^r^jft^ ^fl "«fr^>, babu gar hath dhofi, gentlemen, wash your
feet and hands.
*rtf% W3! ^fT^re ^r^lr ^TT^t ^rf% air *frf% ^, /awy* yaw"
phddh. aor kathi sabah 1
k§ tor 1
daih, do not open the string, and
break the sticks.

id) (8) Past Indicative .—

TTTT ^TTW ^ *f^ ^Fl !*<•!*, m&r* lobh sa muh phoelak, by reason
of greed he opened his mouth.

1. Verbal Noun (oblique) :

^fl^TTT *r»r KfW, lag a lah kanai roai, they began to wail (and
weep.

Past Participle :

^^r VT^T V^t TPtfT WW ^TT ^rf%, dhoal dhael bh§H paka
lagai cahai-ach 1 , the well-washed sheep is about to fall into the
slough. (Proverbs there's many a slip, etc.)

Conjunctive Participle :

Trq" Tt*T ^T3rf% ^fT?T Jl^f sjT, roya (iorroi) roya kajali dahaya
gela (m.c. for gela) nii, lo, weeping, weeping the collyrium was
washed away (from her eyes). (Vid. xxvi, 4).
•"*« ^9 fiT f^^.5* ^TT^frf%, bnnha phoe (for phoi) hart hri-
dae lagOoli, unloosing (his) bonds, she took Hari to her heart.

VfT 1Z*m ^t W ?*5 -F* ^n#t *C*r4r, pher'1 grhasth pho kS, ek ek
kathi deWcai, then the farmer, having opened (the bundle), gave
(them) the sticks one by one.

CHAPTER VI.
Irregular Verbs.
305. The following verbs are irregular :

\/WK kar, do, make.

-v/^T dhar, seize, place.

v/*TT mar, die.

 —

§ 306.] Irregular Verbs. ^/ 3FT kar. 251

v/wr^o, go.

y/wra fib, come.

i/tdS, give.
y/% le, take.

v/^T ^o, become.

306. The and ^T dhar are irregular in the for-

roots 3>T kar
mation of the past participle and of the tenses derived from it and
also in the formation of the first and third verbal nouns. The two
are conjugated on exactly parallel lines.

The past participle of the ^/WK kar, do, make, is ^ kail,

often written ^Rf^T kayal, ^TC^f (i.e., ^\W) kael, or ^TS^T kail. From
this the past tenseformed as follows. As before, only the most
is

commonly used forms of Groups I and II are given :

(d) (8) Past Indicative. ' I did,' 'I made,' &c.

SHORT FORM.
 252 Maithili Grammar. [§ 307.

The first verbal noun is regularly ^fr kar'\ but usually takes
the form ^ kai, q& hay, or w kd.

The third verbal nouu, like the past participle is ^ kail, not

^>T^T karal, oblique 3\^fT kaild.

The v/vr d/mr, seize, place, is conjugated exactly like the

v/^T kar, the W dh being substituted for the *r k.

307. The following are examples of the use of the irregular

forms of these verbs.

srawf^r €*i ^fr ^r vfrfr i

jakhanalu lela hari kancu achori I

kata parajuguti kayala ago. mori II

when Hari snatched away my bodice, how many devices did I

make, as I twisted my limbs. (Vid. xxxi, 1).

^T ^rqrre ^"^ ham ap a radh kail, I committed a fault.

uf^TT -»»•«« Hfr ^TTt" •rf^? 3f^t, kahio janam bhar* cori nah 1
kailt, never in my whole life did I commit a theft.

^TTW ^TTV *^l* j

lakh apa radh kailauk, a hundred thousand
faults I committed against you.

UTTK 3f»TT 3f% tRtZTT %, mar' kena kaile phot a ra

1
he, how did
you kill Photra ?

. ^f #T W ^fl^T ^frf% ^T ^T ^V^n ^HT %, jeh 1

miihs
dhails kafaiya, oh mtlhe dhar ap a na bap ke, with the
1
mouth with
which you seized (me) in Kataiya, with the same mouth seize
your own father.

•ft TT ^5*T ^r Ji'sJi^t* ^TtJ 3T, to, ho dadd, kail gulamik sath
bair, you, brother, made enmity with Gulami.

ft 3*f% ^ff T ^TT VTWT W^F%, to eh 1 hatha, par bharosa kaildh.

you made belief on (i.e., you believed) this statement.
§ 307.] Irregular Verba. ^/ ?RT kur. 253

ST* ^>T^W *T W^f, jaih kahaM-au se kailak, as he said, so

he did.

WTT^ 7\Z rfX <UTQ WT9 -

4? ^T^fTT *W, dgurak fat par jal

lagay Tea ok a rd dliailak. having put a net on a vine trellis, he

caught it (the bird).

^fton « ^fr^r jtut «hs ^ ^Jctt wT^tt *ui<^ ^r*rf% ^r^rr ^«tt
ok a ra nehal kailanh
1
4JH^ <ff^pT? , ok a ra me kon gun chaik,je data
oorham ara kiigal kailanh*, what are his virtues that the Giver

made blessings for him, and made me a beggar p

^W WW vfjrar ^f*? *S^n xr*n* ITS, tinU miimd bhagind

dhailanh' Jeataiya panthak

1
bat, the three, uncle and nephews, took
the path of the road ( to) Kataiya.

%^T TTTfe Tnsfftr ^ ^f%, kebal rahar* baog kail ach\ I have

sown (lit. done sowing) only rahar.

^n -^ixi ww * *r^?r ^hf -w iffir ft i ^mH ^nc ^tw
Wfe, ham ek a ra mar a ba me baliut daur-dhftp kaiU chi, dor tesar

khand f dhail ach\ in killing this (deer) I have done much exer-

tion. And this third portion I have placed (here).

WT <»^wfi <f?fr ^SJVTT ^, kyo karuna kari abharana teja,

some full of woe (lit. doing woe) cast aside their ornaments

(Man. vii, 40V

^fiT i\M\4>4 STTtft ||

hari hari kaya (for kai) puni uthati dharani dhari |

raini gamdbaya (for gamabai) jdgi II

crying (lit. doing) Hari, Hari/ again she (is) rising, having lain
'

upon (lit. having seized) the ground; so waking passeth she the
night (Vid. x, 7).
u
jr^TT WH % faf^ 5* ^«T?t, ek a ra sabh kg kicch kai dekhabU
having done something, let me show it to all these (boys).

murari,
^T^T V TS fa^T STTfT, dhdlraja dhai rahu, milata
Murari wdl
having seized patience (i.e., being patient), remain.
meet you (Vid. lxii, 6).
 — —

254 Maithili Grammar. [§ 308.

^^-^T ^T^TT ^ fai^F «rf% T*T daur-dhup kaild sd kicch u nah1

hait, nothing will occur (i.e., you will get no benefit) from running
about.
In one instance Vidyapati ( lxvi, 1 ) lias a kind of long form
of the conjunctive participle, viz., <*P<.y Jcarie for qtf^ kari (poeti-

cal for ^rf^ bar 1 ).

The verse runs :

ll^fV <*f<y "T^ JT^n^, abadhi Jcarie pahu gelah, my husband

went, having fixed a date for his return. Compare sf^9 tutie in

§344.
308. The conjugation of the \/WK. mar, die, closely resem-

bles that of ^/WK Tear and +/"qx dhar, allowance being made for the

fact that it is an intransitive verb. It is only irregular in the

fact that its present participle is JJ^C?T marait or fjifrd muait, and

that its past participle is *K^ maral or *jT^T viiiil. Its past con-

ditional is therefore ijfXrTT maritah z or ?T«Tf" muitah s , and its

past indicative is *K^Jr maraiah" or ^T^fT niuilah*. The 3rd

verbal noun is the same as the past participle. The oblique form
of the first verbal noun is vulgarly ^" muai for *JT marai. See

§350.
309. I have not come across any forms of the irregular
present participle in literature. The following are examples of
tenses derived from the past participle :

^•T ^«r # 3Nrnf % *IT^T, ghana ghana je ailaha se marala,

every troop that came (with him) died. (Man. x, 55).

3T*rf% ^f*T 31<?| 3J afrc, thamahi qhumi muila hai gofa, several

turned round and died on the spot. (Man. v, 41).

^T^I ^fr^J **^T ^raiTT, muila arista bhela upakdra, the dead
bull became a blessing. (Man. vi, 14).

3^T1 PTd* M&<i •TT^T, muila (oblique) putak bahut ndo, a dead
son has many names (i.e., is always spoken of affectionately).

( Proverb).

^*TT *JT^" "?* ^T^t ^TT, ham<*ra muini (for muile, instr. of
§ 310.] Irregular Verbs. ^ 5TT ja. 255

3rd verb, noun) eh ura si udgdr. from our death joy has arisen only
in (the village of) Ursi.

310. The </*iTJa, go, is conjugated like an intransitive verb

in ^t a (see §§ 270 ff.), but is irregular in its past participle, and

in the tenses derived from it. The past participle is JT^T gel, fern.

irf% geli. On the other hand, the third verbal noun (that in ^ I)
is regular, and does not follow the past participle. It is «itw
jdel, obi. ST^Tr jaila, not ar^r gel.

The following are the more usual forms of the tenses derived

from the past participle :

—
(d) (8). Past Indicative. ' I went,' &c.
256 Maithili Grammar. [§ 311.

311. The following are examples of the use of the irregular

forms of this verb :
—
^M ?fW<l ^T*l W fsr«»rf% *t^r§" ham toh a ra hath sa nika*'

gelah*, having emerged from jour hand, I went, i.e., I escaped

from your clutches.

•flf*e?il W#t IT Tri V<.H I ^* Tf?T<TT « JT^ft nanhita chali, ge tiriya

ham ramitd bhai (jell, I was very young, ladies, (when) I hav-
ing become a wanderer went, i.e., when I became a wanderer
(see § 342 regarding the intensive compound *f ii^t bhai geli).

*ff ^W* iffa" <fr*n y<sw[% fwfr: Jrir, to hamar tinii hatha ekha-
nah' bisar' gels, you went having forgotten (i.e., you have entirely
forgotten) already the three words of mine (§ 342).

"?«T^f,i' 1 Jr^rHj ftslfaqiq, t'tabah* vie gelah khisiyay, at only

this much did you go into a rage ^§ 342).

W%1 JT^T fw% w^T ?JT^ ^tT^TT;, kaha gel kia bhel tharii don a bar.

where has Tharu Donbar gone, what has become of him ?

"^f ^W JMW TT *nflT*r ^T 3TW t\^Y%, eh kos gelah, ho baho-

ran, did kos gelah. Bahoran, they went one kos. they went
two kos.

wrrt ^rf% ^y ttt ^tf^r Ji^T W&VQ, machi baisal 1 dudh par,
pakh 1
gelai (m.c. for gelai) lap a tay, a fly sat on milk, (and) his
wings went entangled (in it) (§ 342).

*4*<\ *?ro ^ ^f% i<*<?) &$T\ V anghr, mai a kuri math sa

fefeas* tuk a rl fuk a r? bhai gelaik. the pitcher having fallen from her
head became (i.e., was broken to) fragments (§ 342).

t^f tts ^fT^f^r ^r *r TTfw* w*m wrfJT wrf* JT^rf^, ek paigh

lokak ghar m§ ratik samay ag lag i 1
gelainh*, fire seized at night
time the house of a rich man (§ 342).

35«i* ^TT *rfr Jr^Hftf^, hunak bap mar 1

gel a thlnh l , their
(respected) father died (§ 342).

^•T VTT WTT^T JT^ro|% ^ia^?r WW, dunii bhai maral ge^thunh'
kataiya khap, the two (respected) brothers were killed in Kataiya
Khap (Passive § 331).
 : : : : : :

§ 312.] Irregular Verbs. J WT*T ab. 257

*^T|", kathi lay otay gel cha'ah" ? otay hamar hhet ach 1 ok a ra dS- ,

khai gel chalah", why had you gone there ? My field is there, I had
gone to see it.

It will he observed that this root is frequently used with the

conjunctive participles of other verbs, to form what are called
'
Intensive Compounds.' These will be fully explained in § 342.

It is also used to form the passive voice as will be explained in

§ 331.

312. The v/WTC fib, come, is in most of its tenses conjugated

like an intransitive verb in WH ab, see §§ 270 ff. Its past parti-

ciple is, however, formed as if the root ended in ^T a, so that it is

WTP^I ael (<«[q<4 ayal or WTT^J ail), not ^T^t^T aol. The following

is therefore the conjugation of the past tense. Examples of the

present, future, etc., will be found under the head of roots in

WT^T ab.
(d) (8) Past Indicative '
I came.' etc.

SHORT FORM. LONG FORM.

GROUP II.

(Subject (Subject: (Subject : ( Subject

honorific. non-honorific. honorific.
non-honorific.
Object Object Object Object
non -honorific.) non-honorific.) non-honorific.) non -honorific.)

Mai
*m ilahP. ij"f%3^* a

Same as 1st per-

Same son, but no forms
^% aili.
as 1st
person.
^FS atlah.
|
for objecfc in 2nd
person.

GROUP I

sgrW del. I^IT^ ailah.

ailai
^«r|

Similarly for the Perfect and Pluperfect.

33
 —
.

258 Maithili Grammar. [§ 313.

The Present Participle is (regularly) u^RT abaii (siMfad

abayit). The 3rd singular Old Present is ^TPW obai or WTTCT c8,

honorific ^raf*l dbath 1 , etc. The 1st singular future is ^nnr deb
(poetical also ^rafa dob). The Conjunctive Participle is WTf% S&*,

and also SflT «i (^T^T «y, etc.).

313. The following are examples of the use of this verb :

W5T ^fTfTSl *3«T ^TW^ 1

TP9, khana paritaja kluma abut pdsa,
sometimes she retreats and sometimes comes near him (Vid.
viii, 3).

?Cng ^fr ^J fsp^TT «T ^TRf^T, rSAtt Jwri fttw/e naaro «a dbathi,

Rahu dwelleth afar, (and) doth not approach her (Vid. xiv, 8).

vfr T^rf^
1
W[TQ «rf% ^l V«(, pher'% palat* nidrang nah % aeb,

again I will not come back to Morang.

aft^t ^fl^TlK «U, gauri, dot nd, Gauri, will he not come ?

fsr^«T T^W rft aDfJl^lT ^ff ^wf^,jibait rahait, to jogiya abait

palat*, if they had been living, then they would have come back
to Jogiya.

^flp? ^TT3PR«T <*i<if*?, uutavh 1 dnrdyaman karaitainh*, if they

had come they would have performed the dura gamun-ceremony

^ ^rfT 'T^TT irrfiTT ^*T

^J ^T«II5TI ^TT, dui car' paisakha-
1

tir ham ailah s dar a bajd par, for the sake of two or four pice I

came to your doorway.

??tT faf% jtw^ % 3MK«f ^^rx; £<?Ht«, tlnu mil 1 qelah, he

bahoran, ak a sar ailah, the three went together. Bahoran, ( but)

you came (back) alone.

^ft ^r £<«?V^ ^T^TWT ^TT, kathl la ailih dar a baja par, for

what did you (fem.) come to the doorway ?

t^J f^"?n 'WTTF^T, ek bidesl del, a foreigner came,

^rfer ^rw ^f% v^ ^ *rw^t at i

saklii sabha deli bliaban kai, sajani ye

ghuri deli sabha nari H
§ 314.] Irregular Verbs. J \ dt and ^ *T It. 259

O friend, the bridesmaids brought me to the chamber, and

then all the women (left me and) went back home (Vid. xxiii, 7).

frTO W trf Vgfi ^lif^ ?&m *jf*§ I

nia pahu parihari aili ka-

mala-mukhi, the lotus-faced girl came, having left her own

husband (Vid. vii, 7).

W1 J^It? <!«<'* ^^ *rft, °b ail ^ h dlnak pas hhadri. now

Bhadri came near to Dina.

t ^f^ ^*<J W* * ^nf* w f* ^> l dekh 1 ok a ra muh me pdni

bhar* ailai, seeing this, water came into and filled his mouth {i.e.,

his mouth watered).

3fT*T WTT s^tf ^fibr "jNfo «flftl4J I* JTTif, kalu sada kanait

kanait ailaik jogiyak gam, Kalu Sada, weeping weeping, came to

the village of Jogiya.

An example of the present participle will be found under the
head of roots in ^T^ ab (§ 284).
314. The roots |" de, give, and % le, take, are conjugated

exactly alike. It is sufficient to give the conjugation of the

v/2- de. That of ^/% le can be ascertained by simply substitut-

ing ^T I for ^ d throughout.

These two verbs present many irregularities. These are
partly due to the combination of the final vowel of the root with
the terminations, but are also due to the fact that there are really
two pairs of roots, viz., v/f de and v^ di, and v^* and */% li -

Sometimes one of the pair is used, and sometimes the other.

Moreover, owing to f?[ di and f% li having short vowels, the long

de and % le often shortened by analogy, so that, although
€ of ^ is

I have, as a rule, only written a long e in the paradigms, a short e

can always be substituted. This is shown from the use of these
forms in poetry, where pairs like ^ deb and ^ deb, ^r leb and

#^ leb. t^f del and ^<sT del, WQ lei and *gfa Id are of frequent

occurrence. Numerous instances will be found in the examples

given below.
Note that, as in the conjugation of the Old Present of the

reonlar verb (see § 176), when a dissyllabic form ends in ^ ai

derived from ^f% ah'x the loner ^ e is not shortened on that account
260 Maithili Gframmar. [§ 315.

(though of course it may be shortened as above explained). Thus

the long e of ^ deb is not shortened in the form ^r debai (for

*t^f? debah
1
). In the redundant form ^^j debaik (for *X<rf%^f
deb a hik) it is. of course, shortened under the usual ante-penulti-
mate rule.
give the conjugation of the ^/ ^ de in Groups I and II
I

pretty fully, as there are numerous irregular forms. The forms

for Groups III and IV can easily be derived from these, and
instances of them will be found among the examples.

315. (a) (1) Old Present. -

I give,' &c. Future (First Form).
'
I shall give,' &c.
§ 316.] Irregular Verbs. ^/ ^ <le and </ ^ le. 261

iu <~ -

as
bu for
2
in
j= 2 "3 o
'z. n ~ Same
person,

forms
ject

(IE
*IV
<iv
o = J5 S 3
OO = -^ O

ho

o
5-1
262 Maitliili Grammar. [§ 317.

c •

-; -^ °

8 I—

O .5 is J LrJ
£~ M
t
\

be - if -°1
— >
o -» ~
c o S
if
fa

IF
® -r o c

IF ¥
f£ \

w •
C ?|F
<1v IF
F fa
<1V

£1
5s w

cc 9 51

be
.1
(IE 1 ,15-
$

<£

.2/5 1 5
r = _a- £
o
O
C3

O 3. c

n:osh3j
 dS and v ' m IS. 263
§ 321.] Irregular Verbs. </ %

319. Verbal Nouns.

1. * de, ^ dei, 4 da, | dai, ^ day, ^ dae. & dee; the

act of giving ; obi. ^ demai or fta did.

deb. the act of giving, to give

obi. ^*T deba.
2. %1 ;

.
3. ^ del, the act of giving ; obi. *«T dMa. Its instrumental

we have *i
is ** dell or ** dene. Similarly, for </% le,

leli.^leni, or (a common corruption) W «e»e.

320. Participles.

Present.

& del. **r Off, or iw dait, fern. ^ det\ $fr dati*, giving.

^ del. fern. ^ de? f .

given.

the use of these two

321 The following are examples of

given these verbs form inten-

verbs In several of the instances
verbal nouus of other verbs
In
sive compounds with the first
or 'taking' has almost
such cases the root meaning of 'giving'
disappeared. See § 342.

Old Present and First Form of Future .— *f*W W W W*

abharana dia k&rhi, if you say (the word)
f^T *Tfe kahia ta sabha

ornaments from my body (intensive compound,

I will tear off the

342) (Man. vii, 43).

§

My
^ ^ diah»,
T

I
TO
will teach
*« f%*T* f***,
you (§ 342. and
toh'ra kaiek hatha sabh

so elsewhere below)
si-

several matters.

f**€tf% wt * to* fie** i t« wrr to** *r ^* M**,

sana pafhay
fefc« sikh* lee. it pathay diaik. Bes, ham'ra balakak
send him. Good, send
diank, let him learn a little, then 1 will
him with my son.

^5T w \
gives pangs in the inmost recesses
m*m V*,
of
madana bedana
my
de

soul (Vid.
manusa anta,

Ixi, 2).
Love
264 Maithili Grammar. [§ 321.

^fr. ^fr ^r s^n ( v. 1. ?^ft-) ?rw jfr^rfr i

teZa sindura sabha delanhi aori |

can cart euro, dea (or deo) matha godriw

Other herd-maidens all gave oil and vermilion, and going

here and there put (lit. give) handfuls (of the same on each
others') heads (Man. ii, 43).

Wt T*fx ^T^fi" li^rr <ff*j ^rf, o dhari dao krsna dethi (for deth 1 )
ara, adopting that trick Krsna wards him off (lit. gives warding
off) (Man. ix, 36).

W%*i wfif^fT ^i*Cl «r^?| ^f vlr ^f«I ||

Rama jharokhd baisi Tea sabahika mojard lethi \

Jehana janikara cakarl tehane sana bhari dethi ||

Ram sitteth at an upper window and taketh cognizance of all.

As each one's service is, so in full He payeth him.

^TPC *1 *PT ^9" ^V MT3T, upar me sugd deai cak-bhaur. above

(them) the parrot flies in (lit. gives) circles.

Imperative :
wfK ^RTT *? ^ff? ^ft, plier'1 ap a na m§ belt
1
It,

afterwards, let us divide (it) amongst ourselves.

t>^j ^^T ^ fcnfTT, ek curuk de piydy, give one sip (of water)
to drink.

% jt fir<«Jli,(5T ^T3T "%, le, ge gir a tham l

. har a wa le. take, O
mistress, take (my) strings of beads.

q^farfif W%~9 *[*3 ^3^f ^ ^JIFP, dhobini kahae mukha uka de la-

gde, he says to the DhSbin '

thrust a torch in (their) faces ' (Man.
viii, 10).

fftfTff %f% W ^f% ^^rr?, torita kesi ke desi bajae. quickly

summon Kesi (Man. vi. 22).

*T TTTT ^% ^JTTT W* WtTtT »W JPTF3, se indm ddh ham a rfi,

tab toh a ra man purdeb, give me that reward, (and) I will fulfil for
you (your) heart's (desire).
§ 321.] Irregular Verbs. */ \ de and J $ **•

m ^ ^T «fH **, et &**, AuZfl, Wtm dih». give,

brother, the order but once.

full weight, give me

puray, I have given you barter-price of
(therefore) the full weight in
commodities.

««T TO wrf* «, *» * *« >5W '"''"'

,ake a " d

weigh these two seers of grain as barter-price.

suma '
^ wrfw
'

»««** &*&»!»* dat fcfl '

iraft fiwnrfw ufir,

One, give heed (Via.

xxvn, o).
ti, matt, saith Vidyapati, O Wise
a
to the Brahman (from
give
WT^r i ^nr, fcrafcrnem fcj cZaefc,

private letter written to the author).

hm ^ haitMy
31 to
dahdk, set
n
down
if* $ **™ ***' JwS Cdr dWlU
the two thatches with (see beZotc)
(your) two

hands.
*ftcrf% T^l «V $ft % «f% I
^^ ** ^ tfT "

dhrasana dethu eka beri II

otaki rahathu drfh pMri, he sakhi I

friend, let him give

Let him dwell there permanently, but,
Vid. lxviu, 4).
us a sight (of him) but once (in a way)
(

Honorific Imperatives :
—
to give thy
Tfm tfc S^W M, ek be^ hnkum did,be pleased

order but once.

irf* *#tar ** *f* *r? 5 * *€t
"«* k^l* < M, 5 8 e/ fcg '"

Highness, once more stand up

**k »to &e butt W, uay, Your
and wrestle a fall {lit. take a wrestle) (with me).
mattobo join A"ofc- mora dZfea,
*T^ «rft ft** *K <W,
blame me) (Vid. lxvii, 4).
Madhava. do not give my blame {i.e.,

«t* f<^ ww*m

protection,
snf*r 5 «*™»° rfl'"° s"™*5 ^ ***
considering (me) as one
(ad"

dressed to Visnu) grant (me)

thee) (Man. i, 18).
who has taken refuge (with
to
diauk kamtty, be pleased
f^T f**« *OT, tf«* din
u
work for this day (only).
,7iVm " 7i '-
^rer utott fsrfw fitffi,
*««** »flrfr "**'
down {lit having written give) my compliments
please write
also.
34
 ~ 66
MaWiili Grammar. [§ 321.

7* ¥T^R Hfy 5rfr ^itf*5, ek ser an ghat* nah* deb'hinh*,

please do not give (even) one seer too little.

Future :
—
1
srrwf^ ^pj ^j ^ ^ff^ prdtahZ adha desa debet b&ti, at dawn.
having divided the country I will give (you,) half (Man. vi, 31 ).

TOf <£^ flTfr T^ ^Nr srrf%. s?'a-» duhu man naiula leba dciri,
having killed the two children. I will take a fine from Nand
(Man. vi, 27).

TO ^-J^T ^T 1*r?T, morafe dhauukhel, deb khasay. I will

kill him (with an arrow) from my bow and will fell him. ?

WTttT VWf? or^nr ^T %?, tanhika bhabanajanama hama leba,

in his honse I will take birth (Man. i, 21).
** % fTf ^T TrrfT #T .frfsr, sabh ke debt ham car* ser bon\
to all (others) I will give four seers
(of grain) as wages.

3"| ^r#t ^snTT, debah* goahf guj a ray, T will bear testi-
mony.
WTT ^ <*fter*T, dha t
a li
debai loiay, I will throw (him) on
the ground.

*frrr ^sft mtw\ ^X^i ^rf tora debau

motl-curak laddu, , I will
give yon sweetmeats of fried pulse-grains.

* w ^"
'JWfa' ^W» fh* * 5Tft
?}=r
3
takhan toh«ra phu- ^S
r*sa& debah". bic me nalJ debah". then I will
give you leave to
depart in the meantime I will not give you
:
(leave).
^W rfT^TT ^r ill, ham tohar& baca lebah". I will take
care of you.

?Tff^ arm fl^f ^#t ^^T?f. tah> tham debailc dhuni khasay.
there will we set down our
^
fire.

Wt Wf* TTlfsTT iff| eft ^TTfjI Ttfwfa qf% ^^ J(m fogi

hajir kt,"bai nah', tau lag* phufsat* nafc
debauk. as long as you
do not produce (the thief), so long will I not give
(Sallies) leave
to depart for you (i.e., as you request).

ff? T ^f%Tr ^r ft! ^, nah1 , re ahira, dudh pibai debt, (if)

you will not, O cowherd, give (me) milk to drink.
 267
§ 321.] Irregular Verbs. J % dl and ^/ *T ie.

ifx ?fx ^V$ Jiv ^

ben debaki garbha deba sabyu,
*i«r, beri

turn and turn about shalt thou place all of them in Devaki
s

womb (Man. i. 29).

sStama sankarakhita kai leb \ debaki *b rohini ke deb II

thou shalt take, having withdrawn

it
The seventh ( child i

(Man. 30).
from Devaki's (womb), and shalt give it to Rohini
i,

parala auaita t§ chathi antaya I

balamu dosa na deba (m.c. for deb ),

elsewhere unwillingly, thou shalt not {i.e.. do not) give

He is

blame to thy beloved (Vid. lxiv. 12).

%

3TTiW iff WTT WTff %** *w&,jakhan to ham*ra ch&r

?T^r

debah, takhan kahabali*, when you will let me go. I will tell you.

adha sabh
Svw^JI^f*, bakas khoP dui-ta rupaia o adha
se

having opened the

uiasala lach'mi dai hi ap*ne cuppe debainh\
Devi two rupees
box you will please give to the respected Laksmi
and half of each of the dainties.

•TTT^ f^-^9 ^^ WTT. narada deta-gae ukathi fori, Narada

will stir up some evil deed (Man. ii. 19).

hamaro kaja bhanya kai deta, will he in-

WTT ^rr^T WT ^ ^,
terrupt even my business (Man. v. 33) .

dhai
W
let, if
i* Tfnnr *T

I also shall descend,

^rr * **, hamah*
then he will seize
hSth hoeb,

me also.
to ha m a ro

%?ff ^ JHfT f
you
WV. <fc*a« Zafe^

hundred thousand abuses.

fifffr* fee ap'radh, for no

fault she will give a

^T ^ aflOum %$* HTT^. ghar ghar joyiydk detaik puray,

house the (people) of Jogiya will fulfil (our order).

from house to

Past Conditional :—uf% iff? iTWl

ham
W vft ft I <5* ^TT
siriS
arn^f ^y fw*T, eh 1 nah* janli aha bhadri cat:
f^rrf
that you are Bhadri (or)
gaik dudh ditahZpiytiy, I did not know
I should have given you the milk of the cow Sina to drink.
 )

^"° Maithili Grammar. [§ 321.

wf iff ^jitt ?jf? wrfw? wt^-r: *rrfr fxW^ ?n^T ^r «fnft

? T^Tr TT?T ^TOrT, >6 td ham a ra nah* charitdh, aor mar ditdh, takhan
1

o moti toh«ra hath lagait, if you had not let me go, and had killed
me. then that pearl would have come into
your possession.
Present Indicative :— **T%*<* TnTTT 4f W WTKl T?TW <^ #t,
sal'hesak pah*ra sau se torn inam dait chi, (what 1 stole) from
Salhes's guard, that give I thee as a reward.

TTTrr ^TW THff JTTT ^T* *f* *?W*T, marait ach 1

hak, gai deit
ach* bhar a kay, they utter a howl, and throw the cows into dis-
order.

^T^rw tf^ <^tTT <^f% ^ *sr 3r V*T £ ^?r ^fw, alasya eh a nS

klra ah*, je dhan U dhura kai dait ach*, idleness is in such a man-
ner a worm that it turns wealth to dust.
fW 5rrr vf\ % %T7* Wf* *ffs, dhiya puta bhadri ke leit
chainh* dap, the girls and boys scold
Bhadri.

^f f? €f«r Vf*,
giving any milk
kicch" dudh dait 1 ach1 , is she (a cow
?

Past Indicative :
—

patha aparadha pisuna paracarala |

tathihu utara harna dela (m.c. for del)

\

On the way the slanderers cast reproaches at me. and

'
I an-
swered them on the spot (Vid. xl, 9).
^TrT ?WT ^Wfa, siipat bgca delauh, I gave you barter-price
in full.

^rra wrcr* 3^fo

*TT* JirfT ^i, IBM ap«radh hailauk, lakh
gar* dels, a
hundred thousand faults 1 committed against
you. a
hundred thousand abuses you gave me.
^fr^TT Jrt^T ^\ W «n^ ^frrT 9% pho(°ra gidar kathl la ma-
rad autar lels, Photra jackal, why did you take human form ?

koti, even after bringing them together they do

not unite, (though)
thou didst o-ive ten millions of gold
(Vid. xxx 3).
 de and J% le. 269
§ 321.] Irregular Verbs. </ %

even you gave

%^T ^T ^T *T*T, seho dela kona bajB, (if)

that, what good is it (Via. lxiii, 2) ?

^r ^tstw £ ftra ^ #f^ ii

pahila bacana utar-6 nalii deli

naina katacha sa fm.c. for sa) jiba hari

le'i II

Thou (/em.) gavest not even a reply

to my first words, but

with a glance of your eye yon took away my life (Vid. xhx, 2).

f^ *f^ th^T «*T I

fWMfd ^T^T ^? I

6i7ia mom parasana bhela I

<«»&'"
raghupati darsana dela (poet, for de7 )
H

Raghupati gave me) a

The Creator was pleased with me.
<

vision ( of himself) (Vid. xi, 1).

Tt^t £ ^ra- ft *fa^ns ^^ ^r %*r, v *nwns **x vw **

bMm-sainak hhaWja par del (vulgar
utfcSy fc<«
Tlfa #*, ran* ft*

matha par reikis lei (vulgar for lelak), he

for delak), o sondk palang
cot. while he took
lifted thequeen and put her upon Blum Sens
(his own) head.
the golden bed and placed it upon

g^fr *rw* fV? ^:^rr 11

fo/m/a btidawa sa»a cMa hoathi nahi I

poetical
jaiojatana biha dela (m.c. for ciSZ,

1
for del anli ).

however great efforts the

The moon doth not equal thy face,

Creator made {lit. gave^l (Vid. vi, 3).

tott *V *w ?ff w^ft sstt *^ ^ T *"!* ^^ '

^^
^^ £ ^TT*
hurar sabhak katha mSn* Mak,
W*RT ^T ^Rf,
dor kukur sabh Ml***
(lamar bliEra sabh
U
eK ka V ati
ofay

believed the words of these deceitful

pathay delak, the silly sheep
wolves, and sent the dogs to
where the wolves (were staying).
he
««f* W* ^*
ft WT*, umari calala kai lelaka salama,
swaggering Man. v. 36 V
took leave to go and departed
I
 ——

270 Maithili Grammar. [§ 321.

nifV?jT ^^j[-5 **MHI qrftfil^rr HUT, tiriya delanh* sap"na jogiya

gam, he gave {i.e., showed) his wife a dream in Jogiya village.

WWm <**i«i ^jttff^ T^twt vrt ^fn %, sabuj kaman lelanh 1

dim!
bhadri hath-ke, Dina and Bhadri took up into their hands their
green bows.

tf^ ^*Tf¥ R^r* ? ^ 8 ^* dun*i bhai

**T^" 1 ckor* del nth 1 , the
two brothers abandoned their bodies.

sa dui sai rupaiak cani oh* rasay a m k§ an* del a kai. having- brought
from somewhere two rupees' worth of silver he gave it to that
alchemist.

^•TT'ST^r w^f ^rfz x^ut m 175 w*n <^f*?, smiu indrasan

cJiapan kof deb a ta je indra janam delainh* (vulgar for del a kainh'1 )
hear, ye fifty-six times ten million gods of heaven, (and) the Indra
who gave me birth.

t ^fiT 3T W#tf?J ^Tfr ^Potf^, 1 sun* ka atith* vttar delHMv-

A', having heard this the respected ascetic gave answer politelv.

Perfect Indicative :

Wtt *f* ^ t^Tt ^rf^, supat bgch* ke deli ah 1 , having sold

I have given the full weight.

*fKHT fWQ TTSTOW T1W % fwn ^f* ifr, jorabar sihuh

>dj aput dola ke delak ach- gher 1
, Jorawar .Singh, the Rajput, has
stopped the (brides') litters.

Pluperfect Indicative :

«r^r»r vi sr^r (or sra- or spr or *r*r) w^r rnisr wt*h ^t t^t,
jakhan dhai lelg (or lene or lene, or neng) chalg, takhan charab ki

rahau, when you had caught me. why did you let me go ?

{ Literally, '
what letting go was there to you ' ? )

jatawa janikara lene chali sundari\

se sabha sopalaka talii |
 j ——
:

271
§ 321. Irregular Verbs. J \ de and J # IS.

to everyone from whom

The fair one made over everything
she had taken them (Vid. x, 2).

Verbal Nouns :

(Obi. ^XT ?* W^ft €**

(1) See Conjunctive Participle : )

to me (necessity) of
*fw, ham*r& ek bak'ri lemaih ach\ there
is

taking a goat, i.e., I want to get a goat.

^TFT ^ ^TT* ^ deJchay demai jait chi, I am going for

(i.e., in order to) showing you.

(2) i*m&s to wiwtr n*\T*f* *m f ,

kagalak P Uchah a " r
answer-
atlthik uttar deb, the question of the beggar, and the
(This the title of a story).
giving of the holy man. is

(3) ^ #i
*n^f* ^f% *t%, h * th
barhani caI i h Ul\ m
taking (lit. by taking) in her hand a broom she
went away.
hamar samad lent jau jajar*,
^IT WTK &* ^T^SS «ll«lft ,

having taken my message go to Janjari.

*& ^<f W*, ahira goar samad nSn§ abait

*rf%TT Jfr^TTT *=WT^
coming with (lit. on taking) the
chaik, Ahira, the cowherd, is

message.

Participles :

Present — See Present Indicative.

Past : — Compare Past Indicative.
The Past Participle, or possibly the 3rd verbal noun,
of %? leb,

meaning on account of,' ' for the

often used as a postposition
'

is

sake of,' as in Man. ii, 38 :

—
mukha herlo na hou,
WT*PS #3 5* *W» «T ^t% l^joka tela
you in the face does not take
on account of shame, even looking
place.

Conjunctive:-^ % W* ^ t *^*> cat* de dhailak, pa?

suddenly.) he seized (him),
de mar'lak, giving abruptness (i.e.,
he struck (him).
giving instantaneous (i.e., instantly)
mSr samad juyiya jah, having
*ftT WT^ ^ftfw # wr?, le

taken my message, go to Jogiya-

•n^r W%*^ W^TT, baj sabh le ke bhel taiyar, taking his

horses he became l-eady.

 .

272 Maitliili Grammar. [§ 321.

^TO ^T ^fT ^PC «T f«HI<J, asa del pheri karn nu nirase, having
given hope, do not again make hopelessness I Vid. xlix, 4, corrected
reading).

*<*< *T3> ^9"fw ^ ^*TTF *fTffr *T ^^HT ^T Wf^tf, kakar sok acli* je

hamara sojha sa utha Idjaet, who has (sufficient) strength that he

will lift (it) up from before me and take it away ?

*d* vf*T TT ^ ^ ^T<i <*<?)<*, kafek bhum* par dai dai patak a laJc, ',

how often placing it again and again on the ground she dashed it

(i.e., how often she dashed it on the ground, but without result )

^S^NfT 3f «? ^ ^3ff%, ddka k§ Jai kaural*. taking the shell she

flew (up in the air).

*n«ll W*K ^T # ^T^«T ^fw ^Tf J^<* ^*IT«i', slntt bena Jai ke

cara bait ach* barn dlhak bathan, he is herding (the cows) Sina
and Bena at the cowshed of Bara Dili.

^•TS T«T ^ ^w ^^7TT%, apanahu mana daya bujlm abagahS,

having applied (lit. given) your mind consider deeply (Vid. ii, 4).

«fTf*r ^*R*T 3^ ^"P WTf, jani asakya bakka dae char a , know-
ing him to be invincible he suddenly (lit. giving suddenness) let
him go (Man. ix, 36).
^fr ^«nrf?r W9 t Tfw «^T, hari anumati lae i mati bhelu.
having taken Hari's permission, this was (their) determination
(Man. i, 26).

pahiri mala, bara dee, hari rama I kaila prabesa naresaka gama \\

Having put on the garlands, having given the boon, Hari and
Balarama entered the king's village (Man. viii, 19).
The Conjunctive Participles are often used as postpositions,

^ de, etc.. in the meaning of '

through,' '
by means of.' and ^ le,

etc., meaning '

for.'

«^K<* N3H1 ^ fsnrf^r ^^!^r, barerik upar de nikas* caldh, come

out by means of (going) over the ridge-pole (of the thatch).

3giT ^TT ^ ^T*l ^ ^3TO ^^f, dunu car dunu hath dai bai-
thay dahak. set down the two thatches with (or by means of)
(your) two hands.
§ 322.] Irregular Verbs. -/ TT ho. 273

tfWTJ ^ if M3f^ WT^, talc a ra de he bhejah samad, by means of

him we will send the message.

wrf% JTT^; ^r of~H«f *?3>*f, jV?/t { marad lai joban seb ale, the man
for whose sake you have kept your virginity.

322. The ^,/^j ho. become, is also used to supply the miss-

ing tenses of the verb substantive (see § 226). Its past participle
is H^r bhel, which is conjugated as the same principle as ^T del

and ^^f lei, that is to say the vowel may always be shortened

ad libitum, so that we may always have either vj^r bhel or *f^r bhel.

It has for its first verbal noun ^TT hoi or vr bhai, with an ob-

lique form ^m ho mat.

The tenses not formed from the past participle may all be
regularly formed from TT ho , which, as in the case of </^ de and

yOt le, may always be shortened to TT ho. Moreover, instead of ^t

ho or ^t ho, we often have a base W hica or ^ ha, so that the third

person of the future may be ^t?«t hoet or >g}j*H hoet for contracted

^"irr hot or ^T«T hot), or ^<T hwait or ^<T hait. There are also the

usual varieties of spelling. Thus TTW hoet is often found written

-^"l^d hoyat, TTi;<T ho it, or ^lf*jr| hoyit.

The optional shortening of the vowels and these various spell-

ings are not shown in the paradigms, but numerous instances
will be found in the examples which follow.

35
274 Maithili Grammar. [§ 323.
 */ ~%\ ho. 275
§ 326.] Irregular Verbs.

6
 —

276 Maithili Grammar. [§ 327.

327. Verbal Nouns.

(1) TTT hoi or »f bhai (w$ bliae. etc.). the state of becoming.

Obi. TT*T homai.

(2)
-

THF3 ^ 5e ^ (Vl*H 1'oyab. etc.), or ^ Aaz7> f^re hayab,

etc.). the state of becoming, to become. Obi. HJMr Aofea or T3T

hatha.

(3) *T^r 6/ieZ, the state of becoming. Obi. v^rr bhela.

328. Participles.

Present, TfjFrr &6e£ (TTT7T fcotY, Trf^rTT ftTtft'l, ^md &5tfa£, etc.)

or ^r«T hicait.

Fast, vr^r bhel.

329. Note. — In the Southern Maithili tract we commonly hear the

regular form TfT««T hoi, or ^l^J^T hdal, instead of W^T bhel for the past participle

(with the tenses formed from it) and for the third verbal noun.

330. The following are examples of the use of this verb.

Several instances will be noted of spellings different from those
given in the paradigms :

Old Present {and First form of Future).

bhanahi bidyapati aparupa nehai jehana biraha ho tehana sineha i|

Saith Yidyapati,
:
O wondrous love, according to the length,
of the separation so (more groweth) the passion' (Yid. lxxx, 7).

Wn: *T»T ^fr? ^fnr ii^T f%fg, ari mana hoe lopa bhela sristi, to

the enemies the mind becomes (i.e., they imagine") (that) the
universe has come to an end (Man. x. -45).

% Trf^<T 4^ %f^ *f TTC, se harakhita muha heri na hoe (m.c.

for hoe I, therefore joyfully looking at (my) face (in a mirror)

does not take place (i.e., I no longer care to look at a mirror)
(Yid. lxiii, S.)

rffRrr ^rrrm irft ^t? ^tt«t h

§ 330.] Irregular Verbs. J VT ho. 277

calu (m.c. for calu) calu sundari subha kari oja\

tatamata karaiti nahl hoe kCija R

Depart, depart, fair one, considering to-day to be propitious.

If thou make delay, thine object will not be accomplished (Vid.

xxv, 1).

3T?T5f *TJI«T ^T^i rfTTT gag ana magana hoa torn, the stars have
become sunken in the sky (i.e., it is dawn) (\ id. xxvi, 1).

^ 3fa #tfsr 5f ^f , du puni tini na hoi, two, however, cannot

become three (Vid. xxix. 7). Here and elsewhere in Vid. hoi is

m.c. for hoy, which is again for hoe. See under Imperative.

^TT ^T^rfa rff 3"raf% 3T*T, upara hoathi to thamahi thama, as

he comes up (i.e.. when he came to the surface of the water) then

(they were) there as before (Man. viii, 4).

«rtr*T fft *T TTrfa- Ttf^T W <3nTT TIT*", bauram nadi m£ pani pib 1

ke upar hoai, having drunk water in the Bauram river, he is be-

coming up (i.e., is ascending the bank).

^T^, sum hoae (for hoai) nripati

% %fa ^T5ET? nrefir *T*T se

mana darada, hearing that (noise) there became in the mind of

the king a pain (i.e., he got a headache) ( Man. x, 15).

Present Conditional :
—
# ^r% fkw<3, bu&ha jana ho se kahe bisekha, if a
«nj «T*T TT
man be wise he tells the meaning (Vid. lxvii, 5).

^jfK ^ 73T? ^fr* 'WW *T^r i

jadi sansae hoajanamaka kala\

banhi dharia barn bandi-sala It

If there be doubt, then at the time of the child's birth bind

her, yea, cast her into prison (Man. ii. 10).

# ^ %T9 fw ^T* f*H?fa II

jorahi jora liigi gela judhi |

je ne hoe Jciehu dharama birudhi II

278 Maithili Grammar. [§ 330.

Equal with equal begau the fight, in order that nothing

might be done contrary to fair play (Man. x. 32).

^f% ^ft W\WK TK^TJl TTT^f # W^^° **W«*J° *?faf, jehi sail okar
par^baras hoik (for hoaik) se abasya kartabya thlk, in order that
there may be support for it (the child), the necessary action must
certainly be taken.

Imperative : —
«ff ^"3" TI^^ 5
to hsth loali, do thou become below (i.e., descend
from the tree).

^fT ^ ^*n*T ^5t« *TOT«r, Ilari kaha. '

Haladhara, hou sa-
madhana: Hari says, '
Haladhar, be of good courage ?

(Man. v, 17).

TTS *K*j«i ^ 5T^ 'TTT ^T#, hohu parasana he purahv morn

ase, be gracious, (and) fulfil my hope ( Vid. xlix, 4).

5T ^J ^t^^TT *T3 3if rr^*f, je chala. hoao sntru ka tehana, what

(day) that was. — may such be for my enemies (Man. vii, 60).

^T» ^3f
^T^ J'Hinr JTJT, pun>> darasana hoa punamati Gunge,
Holy Ganges, may I see thee once again (Vid. lxxviii, 2).

^fjr <?rr?ir farr t srf^ ^t% fwft i

^q^r ^sf ^T-r- cavm \\

maui laeba bita, sejadi hoya nita i

apana karaba kona kaje l|

You will get wealth by begging. If that become everlasting,

what will you do with that which is your own Vid. li, 8) ? (

Hoya is for hoe, as explained above.

'T^t ^ tw ftfw ^"nffa i JT^fT ^wff ^ri tit ii

nandi sa rasa riti bacaoba I guputa bekata nahi hoi II

Daily you will conceal the way of love from your sister-in-
law, (and therefore see thou that) that which is concealed be
not revealed (Vid. xi, 12).

Future Indicative : —^ T^ *TCT*T T^Tff^! ^1t, hama haiba ma-

gana rasQtala ph&ri, I shall again become plunged into the infernal
regions (Man. i, 14).
 279
s 330 "1
Irregular Verbs. \/ TT «o>

become below), then he

wdl
dl Mi let (if)' I also shall descend (If*,

seize me also.
not descend.
«rft i3 THrtf »ah> kith hoebS, I will

fan, wnrn w* w ft* •

par's* gach par
^ ™U*^ se
* * **
Mfl, whether
'

i? b
jnet

I lose
Varan bacat taio n'e
tree.
I will not descend from the parsa
mv life or save it, still

parsa
will descend {i.e., please descend) from the
(for kobal^. yon

will result.
fetf, fronTrunning and~fnssing nothing
that
% m iff iW* f** w, s« "*" »««* "* *" a """^
three days (Man. vii, 32).
will

^ ^ ^
now occur within
Hr
become the destroyer
^ff, baZ«*« ghara.ghalaka
of (your) house
hoeta. that

(Man. vi, 20).

child will

^^
/am, knowing that success
«T* «* Wlf*. JWte (for
will he non-success
WW) «*<**« «"**«
(Man. x. 35).
* fle

hoeti dosara mail .

&flWfl H ,„mh, hr, (m.c. for fear«)

pa** mora |
bisarijaeba (m.c. for ./aeb)

to the forest, and thy mind will be-

Thou wilt make thy way
come changed

haitah*, to
^^M^ ;
thou wilt,

you not a hair even will

tH
my Lord, forget

**
become crooked.
to ^ 5 M
me (Vxd.

Us
It, 3).

-'°
** nal*

„ M 9 w ** «N *f*r ». e* &gfcfi

wisdom
* ft fel fcfl

to tins fool.
*a
"
dfl Mtaft. how far will there be decent
Bffc

Past Conditional .-afrfft W^

UM
* *""" ^ ***' •>;.""

,a n- efc
. ra pM fa afy^ri W*. if had got tins,
a jeweller
happiness would have
L would hL been extremely happy («.
been).
 —

280 Maithill Grammar. [§ 330.

Present Indicative : — *r^ TITfw^ «f<T

farpaff ffS } kieka sabahu

hoi-chia (for chiai) mati murha. why are ye all of foolish raind.
Man. v, 22).

<*l«f) TFTfT ^ ^T *T %\ij\ ^fw «j|P*< J kauno musahar nt ghar

se hoit ach* bahir, not one Musahar comes out {lit. becomes out-
side ) of his house.

TlTfe (vU.Wwfw) m&m WPC«rPC a

hoich* (v. 1., lacaiachi) upa-

draba barambara, attacks are being continually made (upon us)

(Man. iv. 4s).

i^Ti%-'y«T £*it •?£ ^TT^", swami-dhan vrfha nast hoich. (my)

masters wealth is being wasted in vain. (P nrv.sh-P ariksa. p. 51).

Imperfect Indicative : — JTTW W$f% fl ^T"€t ^nfJT T\W*S I srft cT

^f^rT ^TTH" W^, gacli sabah* me Wil lag* gelaik. nah* ta bahut hoit

chal. the trees were nttacked by blight, otherwise there would

have been much (fruit). (Here the imperfect is. as sometimes
occurs, employed in the sense of the past conditional.)

Past Indicative :
Wt*{ ?TT ^5i^T W^T^ WT*Pt. kona tapa cukala
bhelahii junani, what penance was omitted, that I became his
mother (Vid. lxxix, 2).

^TT WHi* fW^T-WJT ^'ffW U*f ^r^ >?^r, aha sabhak kusal-chem
bujhal, man anand bheL 1 learned the news of your good health,
(and) in my heart there became joy.

WT T% ^T^jr W^T WRT, sanga deba barahvifi hhela agu, Brahma

became (i.e., stood) in front of the gods who were with him
(Man. i, 9).

f*v 5rf% rnri ^rn? wf v^ i *j<f«i* *u\ *r^ w* jt^t i

dharani bhar beakuli bhSli \ surabhi riipa dhai surapura geli II

kichu JiahT tatahu kaliu sS bhela \ dharanika sanga sabahu j ana gel a II

The earth (fern.) became distressed with the burden, and,

taking the form of a cow. went to Indra's paradise ; but thence no
assistancecame to her from any one, and with the earth all its
inhabitants went away (to Brahma) (Man. 6). i.
§ 330.] Irregular Verbs. J ^T ho.

dharani bheli agu, at

W^JT ^Ft *f% w, ohi abasara
*ftf%

that moment the earth came forward (Man. i, 12).

fcai 6e/-i fca# banaola naba kayu I

faj'o £uZifcu Ha/u &/ie7fl (m.c. for bheUi) M

anew, but still it could

Many times he cut it and fashioned it

not equal (thy beauty) (Via. vi, 4).

ftiTT wttOT M*, ^"» 5 fcM # "-

fl r7i ^''^ DmS and BhadrI

became erect {i.e., stood up).

she became free from care
irf^Tf f*re*J, bheliha nlsahka.

(Man. lii. 9).

dgo na dole,
*rfeSf%f%*f*r*lfafrT*"T*r, fharhi bhelihi dhani
limbs move (Vid.
the lady became^ motionless, not even do her
xxvii. 2).

tj* f^sr W3T ^ ^f% W M^TT, efc« dww &™?a " iaha fc/ieri bWa
Braj (Man. v, 12).
bftefcu, one day there was an excellent game in

ffr?TT * t ^t* ***« foharn S< * *

CUki bhBlahU i
fl '° m y ° U thiS
you have made this mistake).
mistake has happened (i.e.,

from bow many months is she in calf ?

actf / WWa* *<f of* mas,
indeed, were (i.e.. have passed).
Eight months,
ajayut bhelauk
^t^rr % $$s ^ mJF *^*> P* ^^ *5 **** '

the seeing Photra was wonderful to you.

nah* karaichiainhK it is a long time

bhelainh 1
and lok a ni takuja

since you pressed (him for the money).

Perfect Indicative :—^K 1* *V <TO* *ti**W *3 *t*, c#

bos*« sa6A a/iafc »oifc°sfi» Me/ oc/t*, your property has been damaged.

Verbal Nouns :
—
Vtv? <?TW *I*TOS *rfsr, &ow«ie %a7u (m.c. for
(1) Obi.
voice of from) the
layala) akasaka bani, there began to be a
{i.e.,

sky (Man. x, 35;.

36
282 Maithili Grammar. [§ 330.

(2) giPh? ^sr w *j *rg flr?ft ^»t<t ^s i ^ ^>f%wr wtt *t

Uff% W^fw, murglk ancla sabh sa pnigh moti ham a ra pet mi haib
kahid dhyan m§ ab l sakai-ach 1 , can the existence of a pearl big-
ger than a hen's eggs in my belly come within (the realm of)
thought ?

W^fi *fao ^rerai ^^rv ^f<f, andhak netra hay a bak (for haibak)

aukhadh ach*, there is a medicine for the becoming of eyes of a

blind man (i.e., which gives sight to the blind).

Participles : —
Present: — ^frf Vfrff H^f «nr Ts^JTT, hwaita prata bhela nayra ha-
kSra, on dawn becoming, there arose a cry in the town (Man.
ii, 42).

TTT<T f^«rcr*3T ^rfir ^r^T, Jwit bhm a sar a wa bhag* culal, as

morning dawned he ran away.

INT* ?rf*T^n: w h

janikd janama hoita, Kama gtlahu \

ailahu tauikara ante B

I returned at the death of him, at whose birth I went out

(Vid. xxxix, 2).

<jrtH«** ^tf?TfT vJ^fHs', mukta-bandh hoyit bhelah, he became

becoming released from his bonds (i.e., he gradually got free).
Past : See Past Indicative.

Conjunctive: — f%^f% <§<Tf% T^fsT ^ft «T ^TT, bimukhi sutali

dhani sumukhi na hoi, the damsel, not having become sweet-faced
(i.e., refusing to smile), slept with her face turned away (Vid.
xxx, 2).

^jr^J^T V W*X TT^^rT ^TP, byakida bhai sabha pahiicala dhae,

all becoming distressed ran up (Man. iv, 32).

*<»1<?i ^TJT W^r^T *T JT^rr^ ^rfe, bhadrlk agu salhes bhai geldh
(Hindi ho gaya) tharh 1
, Salhes became erect (i.e., stood up) before
Bhadri.
 283
The Passive Voice.
§ 332.1

M,
** ^ *i? * * *€t
wrestle a fall (with me).
M, ^ 6^ mrh bhai fee fc«**i

just once, having stood up,

TO« „ ^r Wt toX fff*« »«come

*««" «*°" aM
myself (Man.
"
o6a

»,
'

(child), 1 shall
having become the eighth
32).

CHAPTER VII.

The Passive Voice.

usually formed by conjugating

331 As in Hindi, the passive is

go. The participle is Ixable

the past participle with the ,/*./*,
it agrees w.th
the
in which respect
to inflection as to gender,
unaltered.
other respects rt remams
subject of the verb, but in
*t*, |w TO
*W * «
means to be^seen
^W TO, dek^ljaeb,
Thus
MhaljM «c*, he
« is being

I*.
^
seen-.

* was
**,
seen.
'

Examples
ne
of this
seen *fr iff.
;

—
following
form of the passive are the

^ Wh
:

6or
„ ^rr «r wft W%w I «*< *f*

not («., cannot be) born

tender is my lord Salhes, a beating i.

see § 186.)
inanimate feminine *rfr «-',
by him. (Regarding the

elder brother has

been killed m
l kaW, he >ho> was your
Kataiya.
wim** „ ^™
**« ** ««. >««- " p
Ml. *« » /** ^hen yourbesoul
°"

desires, then havmg

e
T
rfH.
taken away.
plucked, let it
caused (the fruit) to be

.
,., „,d M.ithiH poetry

st „„ B t„r»

Thus, Man.
i.
we .omethne. *nd U» P*"'™

«T «•.

12 :—
a. if we .aid **! — «- *"* «*
P""^'" <"" ""°

w
vii,

OT *. wtw to. -» -»»* *"a ° •* a

...d be waa coeseqa.nt.r unclean).

had been touched (by him.
formed by conjugating
Another form of the passive
is

the
332
first verba! noun with the verb ^ P ».™6 or «* puree, to
 .

oca
Maiihili Grammar [§ 333.
fall. Thus %fi T^ dekh 1
parab, to be seen ; ffs x^^T d&Jch*
parol, he was seen. The first verbal noun remained unchanged
throughout. The whole is an intensive compound (see § 342),
and the final ^ i is often omitted.

Examples of the use of this form of the passive are : —

lok
t *T ?Nt
dekh parai-acW,
Wg ^JW *fi<* ^ ^fr, i ta keo apurb dhangak
this, indeed, is seen (to be) {i.e., is evidently)
a person of some extraordinary kind.

f*T*f?T ^Tfo «TT tjtiw irf| I ffwfwifil OTfo kumar*-

bait* ach* ba ekhan note ? hS kich" kich* bujW parai-ach 1
, is she
showing signs of being in calf or not ? Yes, a little is becoming
manifested.

333. A Potential Passive is formed for some verbs by add-

ing stt a to the root. Thus </%* dekh, see, v/^rr dehhS, to be able
to be seen, to be visible.
This root dekha is conjugated exactly like
any other intransitive root in ^T a ( see §§ 270 ff ). The potential
passive indicates not so much
be done.

be read, but
Thus * ^ H?T5*f*,
that a thing

i
is done, as that

pdthi parhai-actf, this book can

it can

£ TJt^t ^sT STTTWf*, 1 pdthi parhal jai-ach\ this book

is being read. Similarly (,/tffa m %jh, extinguish) we have ^rn
V&S Wrftt ?f% ^srff fR^rnrrr, ham a ra petak ay eh sa nah* mijhaet,
1 1

the fire of my belly will not be able to be extinguished by this.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Formation op Tkansitive and Causal Verbs.

334. As in other Indo-Aryan languages the

intransitive verb
in Maithili can be made transitive and the transitive verb
causal.
The transitive verb
is generally formed by adding
*m ab to
the root, and the causal by adding
w*r a bab, but there are many
exceptions. The roots thus formed are conjugated like
transitive
verbs in w* ab (see §§ 270 ff). We often find n to written in-
 285
335 -j Causal Verbs.
§

stead of * b, as in *m A* ^T* -««», and this pronunciation is

usually heard in Southern Maithili,

hut in the northern or stan-
b, no matter what
is
dard dialect the sound is always that of *
written.
grammars we have rules about shortening the root
In Hindi
vowel of certain causal verbs. These rules are not necessary in
to the regular
Maithili. The root vowels are shortened according
rule of the short ante-penultimate
vowel (see §§32 ).
ff

Itthus follows that in forms which

syllables, the root vowel is

consist of only two

not shortened. Thus from

'be awake,' the transitive root

jag,

vmvjagab] which is also the short-

^
person imperative, meaning
awaken thou.' ;

est form of the 2nd

person future of the transitive
is ^Tf^ jagaeb, with
But the first

now in the ante-penultimate.

the a shortened, as it is

of intransitive verbs be-

335 The following are examples
and causal. All verbs are given in the form of
coming transitive,
ante-penultunat*
the infinitive, so as to
show the shortening of the

vowel. It will be
remembered that roots in ab form their m
infinitives in ^F^ aeb :—
Transitive. Causal.
Intransitive.
ftl^l^ gir-baeb, to
f*TT^ giraeb, to fell,
ft^ firab, to fall,
cause to fell.

^ c „rhab. to ascend, ^T^t oafMeb, «*W -'^baeb.-

ftwnn pighal'Meb.
f^ a righHab. to fttnrnw Tiyh'iaeb,

melt.
^^ W** ***^ latak'bSeb.
^*
WW
^
lat'kab, to hang,

j a gab, to awake.

pakab, to ripen.
^
*«n* ***
jagaeb, W*W* jag'baeb.
™*« ^' We6 -

^ bajab, to speak, **W bajaeb, to call, ^^ baj-baeb.

summon.

^ ^ab, to be ap- m*K ^joeb, ^T^ l^bael,

plied, to begin,

^b^ab.tobewet.f*^ »tf*6, ****** ^^

 —

286 Maithili Grammar [§ 336.

Intransitive. Transitive, Causal.

sut^ ghumab, to go WV9^ yhumaeb, WWmw ghum a baeb.
round.

^*?M dolab, to be ^t^TT3^ dolaeb, *Tli4<*r9? dol a baeb.

shaken.

W&<* ietab, to lie down, ^rp^ letaeb, ^^y-p^ let a baeb.

In the above, note that the *S^T3l bnj, like the Hindi x/^t^l
bol, is intransitive.

Note also that no verbs insert ^T I as sometimes occurs in

Hindi. Thus:—
Intransitive. Transitive. Causal.
^tWfjiab, to live, f^WT?«r jiaeb, to make fsr^r^ jiabfieb, to

alive. cause to make alive.

336. In the same way transitive verbs form causal and

double causals. Thus :

Transitive. Causal. Double Causal.

^•H sunab, to hear, ^•uyq sunaeb, to tj«f«tl!;«r sun a baeb, to
cause to hear. cause to be heard.
^^ dekhab, to see, <.<«li;>«< rfekhdeb, to 4<sM|ih dekh a baeb, to
show. cause to show.
^ </e&, to give, %^r?^ dSaeb or ^^r^rp^ deabneb or

f«^q in i diaeb, to f^smr?? diabaeb, to

cause to give. cause to be given.
"9T^ dhonb, to wash, ^~r<q ?«( | dlioaeb or vfH^n^ dhoabaeb.

Vt«j|^«t dhobaeb.

tPfa^ piab, to drink, i?^i!H piaeb or frreyryq piabaeb.

«Tl «1 1 JM pibaeb, to

give to drink.
sikhab, to learn, fwrp^ sikhneb, fq<sHI ! H w'JfeZi
a fe«e6.

337. Many intransitive verbs with a short vowel in the root

simply lengthen it to form the transitive, and form the causal
regularly with ^«rTW 'bob ; thus: —
 —

§ 338.] Causal Verbs. 287

Intransitive. Transitive. Causal.

^T^ katab, to be cut, <*l<J«t katab, to cut, 4i4«|l!H kal a baeb.

T¥^ garab, to be JTT^ garab, to bury, 3ICTT1F? gar a baeb.

buried.

TT^ marab, to die. *TTT^ marab, to kill, *K^liH mar a baeb.

tr^R palab, to be TTT^T? palab, to rear, ii^m-tm pal a bdeb.
reared.

^1^ focfofe, to be tjti^ ladab, to load, ^^<try<| lad a baeb.

loaded.

f«i«inj«« nikasab, to fa<*|*j«j nikasab, to fa*^«||?«i nikas a baeb.

come out. bring out.

338. The following are irregular :

Intransitive. Transitive. Causal.

^«?M khulab, to be <dltsM kliolab, ^sfl'jWp^' khol a baeb.

open.

W^ chutab, to sro off, WT^3" charab W^T9^ char a baeb or

'
or *1<j«t chorab. *l««(i j>q chor a baeb.

tt^ tutab, to be ffl<S«) ft?ra& ffTS^rr^ tor a baeb or

broken. or WH« torafc. fff"<;«tiy« tor a baeb.

*53* phatab, to be t$t^ pharab, **^«l IV* phar a baeb.

rent.

^3" o?a6, to be stop- ^«ijm araefc

VffWTJR ar a baeb.
ped. or <*f|^« <5ra&.

f«l*«( bikab s^tH becab, f^T?^ bec a baeb.

or f«|*|Tr«t bikaeb, or «(^«i bicub.

to be sold-

j^^rahab, to remain, Tr^R' rakhub, <<sMI!!J«< rakh a baeb.

W[ kha, to eat, khiaeb, to fisllMi'SM khiabaeb.

feed, give to eat.

Amongst others, the following verb takes the causal form,

but does not use it in a causal, but only in a transitive sense ; the
causal form thus becomes an optional form of the transitive.
288 MaithiU Grammar. [§.339.

Simple Verb. - Transitive.

W%? kahab, to say, *^|th kahaeb or *-^«H"?«t kah a -

baeb, to say.

339. A few examples of the Transitive and Causal verbs in

literature may be given. Many more will be found under verbs in

WT3" ab in § 284.

^tTT tTKi WpT ^'I'Tr , Mrfi hira mat 1

bajii, say not '
diamonds
diamonds.'

T^f f^T W ^TTT TZ\ ^M W %W\ <*!<», ek din o ap a na beta sabh

hi bajaul a kai, one day he summoned his sons.

^"fil WW, agt'lagal, fire was attached (to the house, i.e., the
house took fire).

<Sl*Tt *f ^J*T fw? •rf? WWWS, swnmi me lay kiai nah* lag a bai-

chdh, why do you not apply your mind in (i.e., on the contempla-
tion of) the Lord ?

^T«T *rf^ #" ^^t ^f% f<*n*J, supat bee 1 he dell ah 1 diyay, I,

having sold, have given the full weight, having caused (him) to

give (tobacco in exchange).

3MI«1 ^ffaf 3\f T^T *fT*r«r <^l«f(«j, anath lok ka ucha bhojan
deabath 1
, to the destitute people he causes food to be given (accord-
ing to) their desires (Purusa Pariksa, p. 49).

3^J <^«lf^<T W^T, bast u deabayit chath 1 , he is causing goods to

be given (lb., p. 51).

«TTT f^lf^ -

^T ^VTTH, j'Si piabiai adhara sudharasa, hav-

ing gone, give her the nectar of your lower lip to drink (Vid.
x, 10).

^ ^ ^t fk^r^ i wrfji ^ttw *ff1nrft $ fw^% % ^rr» ham

kl let nikasu ? dg* lagal jhop a ri, je nikase, se labh, what shall we
bring out ? When a hut is afire, whatever comes out, that is gain.

^«T ^XJT «rr? 3T Wife ^RT, baJiut upar jae ka char 1 delak,
going up very high, he let it go.
 ——
) —

Compound Verbs.
289
§ 341.]

^Tm^f
ing broken
^
off
rfrfr «f#t ^X dhabak
a branch of the dhaba tree, drive
dar* tor 1 machi hauk, hav-

away the flies.

^T MTT % fwtW, <*«»« Ms » be khiaulak, she fed the two

brothers.
-o-

CHAPTER IX.

Compound Verbs.
Componnd verbs may be classed as— (1) those formed
340.
participle.
with a verbal noun, and (2) those formed with a

I. Those formed with a verbal noun are

(a) Intensive s.
(6) Potentials.

(c) Completives.

(d) Permissives.
(e) Acqnisitives.

(/) Inceptives.
(g) Desideratives.
(h) Frequentatives.

II. Those formed from the participles are—

(a) Continuatives.
(6) Staticals.

Class I.— Compounds formed with the Verbal Noun.

§§ 178 there are three verbal
341. As explained in ff.,

nouns, viz. :

^* dekhai or t^ dekhd.
( 1 %f^ **** •
ob1,

(2) ^3^ dekhab ;

obi. ^^T dekh a ba.

^m^ldSkhal ; obi. s£wt dekh a la.

(3)

are made with the direct form of the first

The following
verbal noun :

(a) Intensives.
(b) Potentials.
(c) Completives.
37
 —

290 Maithili Grammar. [§ 342.

. The following are made with the oblique form of the first

verbal noun :

(d) Permissives.
(e) Acquisitives.

(/) Inceptives.
(g) Desideratives are sometimes made with the genitive of
•
the second verbal noun, but more usually with the oblique form of
the first verbal noun.
(h) Frequentatives are made with tbe direct form of the
third verbal noun.

342. compounds intensify, or otherwise modify,

(a) Intensive
the meaning of the verb whose root stands first in the compound.
They are made by adding to the direct form of the first verbal
noun one of certain auxiliary verbs. The verbal noun remains
unchanged, and the auxiliary verb is conjugated throughout as
usual. This second auxiliary conjugated member does not, however,
retain its separate character and significance, but only modifies, in
accordance with the general idea which it embodies, the meaning
of the unconjugated verbal noun to which it is attached.

The first verbal noun ends in?: *

(^f*sf dekh { ). This final

vowel is only half -pronounced, and, in these compounds, it is often

dropped both in writing and in pronunciation ; so that, in these

compounds, we may have either ^f*f dekh { or ^sr dekh. This eli-

sion of i (or y, etc., see § 281) most frequently occurs in the case

of verbs whose roots ends in vowels.

The auxiliary verbs usually employed to form intensives are :
—
^^ deb, to give, implying in these compounds intensity.

tf'I'W darab, to throw, ,,

violence.

~)
WT9? neb, to come,
\ ,, completion.
5tr?q jaeb, to go, J

TTZ^ parab or TfT$ parab, to fall. ,, chance.

^64 ufhab, to rise, ,, suddenness.

K.^4 rahab, to remain, ,, continuation.

<^ leb, to take, ,, refiexiveness.

Note that t|"¥W parab, to fall, is also used to make passives.

See § 332.
 Intensives.
291
343.1 Compound Verb*.
§

are
such intensive compounds
:

Examples of

deb, to fill up.

*nr^ bharab, to fill. vf* ^r bhar*
«f* (or ura) deb,
^rfieb.tocansetofly. |
TOT or («*r) V<

to squander.
to lose out and out.
%^ |5
^^
Zie.ra deft,
;^ 1
T H heraeb, to lose. r

**«^ **• to thrOW d(Wn -

T Jbkwfleb, to cause to
I

fall.
fca** <?««»&> t0 cut off -

3na«l katub. to cut.

^rfc ^TT^

^PT banab, to be made. ^ ^^r^ ba»« r7eb

made.
or *f* ^T^ ban 1

jaeb, to be completely

mr^ caVjaeb, to go away.

^R calab, to go. =^f%
up.
^TT ^TTl^ khajaeb, to eat
^TiW khaeb, to eat.
1
ft WT^ fZ i^eb or fVf«T ^TT"^ 2W& i^ eb '

ffcR flab, to drink.

to drink up.

to be, to be- ^T grr^ ho jaeb, w ^HR bhaijdeb, to

^iy? hoeb,
become (definitely),
come.
to happen to go.
^rr? TCTJfle Jjarab,
STTFSJaeb, to go.
»#a&, to call out
call out. g^rft <&& pufcrir 4
g et>r<^ pukarab, to
suddenly, give a scream.

^T TT^ ho rahdb, to be.

Tfnra hoeb, to be, become.
^f>T T^ sut 1
rahab, to sleep on.
*^rH sutab, to sleep.

fl^gj plab, to drink.

ft ifa pi leb ov ^1* ^^ Z8&
'
t0

drink, take to drink.

rSfc&i leb, to lay by (for one's
^rew rakhab, to place. TTf> *ft
own use).

#^ Ze&, to take. j
^^ lai leb, to take for oneself.

conjunctive participle
be remembered that the
343 It will
verbal noun. Phrases in
which
nxay be ihe same in form as the
are not intensive
participle occurs
this form of the conjunctive
to go,' to take
lai jaeb, having taken
Thus * *n*
compounds.
If it were an intensive
away.' is not an intensive compound.
which it does not
compound, itwould mean to take completely,'
 —

292 Maithili Grammar. [§ 344.

mean. On the other

5a
hand ^ «JT^ dai jaeb
...
is an intensive com-
pound and means '
to give out and out.' Again, while ^fir "W 9*

ban 1 neb is an intensive compound, and means '

to be completely

made,' fsrarf% WTT? nikas 1 Seb is 'having emerged to come,' i.e ,

'
to come out,' and is not an intensive compound, but is simply a
phrase with the conjunctive participle. The essence of an inten-
sive compound is that the auxiliary verb loses all or some of its

proper meaning, which is not in the case in fiT3ff% ^iy«i nikas*

aeb. ,

These intensive compounds are extremely common in

344.
Maithili.Dozens of instances will be found on every page of
any book in the language. The following are a few typical
examples :

^fl^t ^T«rf% if <^t% ^> kathi sabah* ke tor 1 de, break the sticks.

^UTT ^TCT ^WT ^f, hnm a rd lag pathay daih, send (them) to us.

WW *TfS *sn^T ^T, sabh b]icrah u khay gel, they ate up all the

sheep also.

^tfa" ^ ^f far5? wfe 5n~?fT, tin 1 sai sa kicch u barh* jaet, they

somewhat exceed three hundred.

^>T 3<^3Tr«T «rfr W WT&K. H JI^T, sabh bastujat jar'1 ka chdur

bhai gel, all the property being burnt became ashes.

graft f%fwfr; WW Hi^ld *T WRr 1 a

V*sf^, ek khikhir' kond phul -

bari m§ jay paral*, a she-fox happened to go into a certain garden.

«3*ijl4i *H< ^fir <^«U *T?t Vid^ P*iMI*l, ammak sabad sun 1 dlna

bhadri uthal cihay (for cihay uthal), hearing their mother's words
Dina and Bhadri started up.

t^f *prt 3T)«H* i^t W ^NJ<. ^r ^^rfs T^T W^T, ek murga gob a -
rak dheri ke cagur sa ukat* rahal dial, a cock was scratching
, (going along scratching) a dunghill with his claw.

f^r5? 'tTl'psI %*Z, kicch u sikh* lee, let him learn (for himself).

mHH \ *T «u{*' ^T. ap a nd me b&i* I?, let us divide (it) among

ourselves.
 Potentials. 293
Compound Verbs.
§346.1

(baisdK).
4m *«* ftft ^
T iU laha (for
^pM
UQ
* baha
come,
(m
sit
- c
-
for ff6d6)

dowB, take a drank

'
haiSaha
of

water (Vid. lxxx, 4).

the
a sort of long form of
first
In one place Yidyapati employs
verbal noun.
hdra tutie (for tun gela no, as
Jhrff TO *ft* '*m m, jattaK
*T nfi is expletive) (Vid. xxvi
I went my necklace broke in pieces I

participle *ft* karze at

*\ Compare Vidyapaus conjunctive
the end of § 307.
(
conjugating
345 (6) Potential
compounds are formed by
the direct form of the first
the verb m, sakab, 'to be able," with
intensives. the final
verb. As in
verbal noun of the principal
sometimes omitted. Thus
X *
is
:

^ *PCT chal* sakab. to be

able to move.

^TfsT ^m baf sakab. to be able to speak.

f%£a *c^ UhW sakab, to be able to write.

f ^T dai sakab. to be able to

give.

| q*3 lai sakab. to be able to take.

gn? *^ jae sakab, to be able to go.

i^ q**f &&e< ^ af) - t0 be able t0 meet '

Examples from literature are—

«fl Sb* sakai-ach', it can come into
WT^ i WTf* «**t*, *%*«
thought, it is conceivable.

wfNn ft* « «*« iwdW««ia ifH bhaisakai-acV,irom

regretting what can happen ?

of grapes.
paMc saifcaZ*, she could not reach the bunch g

Completive compounds are similarly formed with

346 (c)
finished. The T !
is here also sometimes
the verb *re* cnkab, to be
dropped. Thus :—
294 Maithili Grammar. [§ 347.

Trfr "<*<*
«1, mar* cukab, to have finished beating.

W[ *3W1, kha cukab, to have finished eating.

^ <cf eti«l, dai cukab, to have finished giving.

Curiously enough, I have not noted any occurrence of this

compound in literature.

347. (d) Permissive compounds are made by conjugating the

verb ^ deb, to give, with the oblique form of the first verbal
noun. Thus :
—
* *
WW
-
$~%, kahai deb, or
.

WW
s

^ kuhd deb, to allow to speak.

STrjF ^", jae deb, to allow to go.

^t ^)<tKl *3r? i^RiU, o ok a ra khae del a kaik, he allowed him

to eat.

W(W ^T ^faT *ff\ % ^W ^^f#tf*?, kohl sada dhia bhadri ke

baisai delHhinh*, Kalu Sada allowed Dina and Bhadri to sit down.

•iff ^J? ^t«r ^T, nah 1 dudh plbai debe, (if) you will not allow
us to drink milk.

348. (e) Acquisitive compounds are similarly formed with

the verb TT?^ paeb, to get. Thus :
—
^ft <33" «rft ^T^f?!, o uthtii nah* pabath 1 , let him not get (per-

mission) to rise.

foH^d STT? TFWt «rf% ^Tl^d, jibaita jae ekau naht paota, not

one will get leave (i.e., be able) to depart alive (Man. viii, 43).

349. (/) Inceptive compounds are similarly formed with the

verb WW? logab, to begin. Thus :
—
WW ^fUI^, kahd lagab, to begin to speak,

^t^ ^rrara', did lagab, to begin to give.

TIT <snii«s, marai la gal, he began to beat.

WT5 mr? ^TR^T, bagh khae la gal, the tiger began to eat.

ififtH WW ^TTTf%, burhia kahai lagal 1 , the old woman

began to say.
 — :

Compound Verbs. Desideratives. 295

§ 350. J

Tnfr ST* wT<?re\

car1 J'an al a si
g*ni? craft ^
purukh tatah* asank sutal paraspar katha karay lag
a-
wt^ ^^t w mx <?W^,

to talk to
lah, four lazy men, lying there without anxiety, hegan
each other (Purusa Pariksa, p. 51).

In one instance Manbodh (i, 12) uses the oblique form of the

second verbal noun in an inceptive compound, as follows

3TO^rre«r W^J WQ, kamalasana kichu kahabd
1w layti,

(Brahma whose ) seat is on the lotus begins to say something.

often indicate
350. (y) Desiderative compounds, as in Hindi,
that something is on the point of occurrence. They are formed in
two ways :
—
(i) By the phrase r^T uf* iccha ac/Jii '
meanin £ "there is a

desire," following the genitive of the second

verbal noun in «T b.

the
(ii) By the accusative, genitive, or simple oblique form of

first or second verbal noun with the verb ^TS* cahab, to wish:—

Examples

(i) ^m* V^J ^f*, dekh'bak iccha

achh\ there is a desire

of seeing, i.e., I wish to see.

(ii) ^T ^4 W 'rtft, ham dekhd ke cahai-chf, I wish to see.

^T ^F5T ^mf* » o bojd cahai-ach\ he wishes to speak.

to kill (him).
*TT ^W^PK marai cdhHak, he wanted ,

dliarai calm pheri sape, a snake again

^T ^T% ^fx *!t,

wishes to seize it (Vid. xxii, 6).

mm ^ff?, ghari bajai cahai-chal

1
,
the clock was about
^pft

to strike:

ap a na bdlak
"^iff ^TTr *T*T* aF
f? V ^T3T^ ^14*% ha.mah*

ke skid me pathabai cahai-chi, I also want to send my boy to

school.

<T «rr? Tfi»pU ojae cahai-chath\ he wishes to go.

"

-asfr *TT (vulgarly &) ^*t ^fw, o marai (vulgarly muaiy

cahait aeh*, he is at the point of death.

 )

296 Maithill Grammar. [§ 351.

^"TW^f "qrp^I *r€t *rNn ^TTJT ^H^fw, dhoal dhael bhsri paka
lagai cahai-ach\ the sheep washed ( for sale ) is about to fall into
the slough. ( Proverb.

yf% xfj^t 3r xr^«(f ^T^t, eh 1

pot In he parkak cahi, one should
read this book.

fTtTTT WtWQ 5Tr3^f (or mr? or 5n^ ir) ^pft, toli a ra otay jaek
(or jae or jae he) eaht, you should go there.

?&<f Vfa fa^fr * ^^» ^I^t . . . W^I^ ?rft xTpCt, bahut

sac bleat 1 kai karaik cahi .... pach a taibnk nali* cahi, one should
act after much thought and consideration .... one should not
regret.

In the above, note the use of ^rf^ cShi, equivalent to the

Hindi ^rf%% cahiye.

Class II. — Compounds formed with Participles.

351. (a). Continuative compounds are formed with the

direct form of the masculine Present Participle. Thus :
—
f%*3«T «rf^, likhait jaeb. to continue writing.

M<sd «JT?^, parhait jaeb. to continue reading.

35HT ^rn?^, bajait jaeb, to continue speaking.

«ITTrT T^, jG&b rahab, to continue going

XT^rT W¥%, pabait aeb, to go on finding.

TTrfsr ^cT siT^fw, pani bahait jai-ach 1 the water keeps ,

flowing away.

•T^t %T T^TT 3^ T^^fw, nadi her dhar bahait rahai-ach\

the stream of the river keeps flowing on.

352. (6) Statical compounds are similarly made except that

the participle agrees in gender with the subject of the verb.
Thus:—
W*i*1 ^^^, kanait calab, to go along crying.

1^?T wn?^, gaoait Orb, to come singing.

y^ i&t 1^f?T ^W^%, ek stri gabait 1 abai-chal', a woman

was coming singing.
 — —

Compound Verbs. Staticals. 297

§ 354.]

<<j|<|^ *fr£% TTfff k ^ffff =^W «%, rasay'ni oh

1
rat 1 kd

Tcatah z calait bhel, the alchemist that night became

going somewhere (i.e., took to his heels).

Quasi continuative or statical compounds are also formed

with the third verbal noun or past participle, as in :

TTTfsr si^t WfTW ^fw, pani bahal jait ach\ the water keeps
flowing away.

"^f *TT3 Tf^T f*fiTW*T, ek bdyh parol phirai-chal, a tiger was

prowling about.

^flTT ^JT ^rrl^f ^T? ham a ra sang layal calah, come along

with me.

^Wtf ^faf «£TO W^cT, ar/ioi saj ia bac°le rahat, dor oh 1 me sdje bacal

mk a sat, oh 1
sabhak nik any rate a hundred will
dam bhefat, at

remain over and above, and from those that will remain over and
above, I will get a good price for them. Note in this case that the
locative of the verbal noun and the direct form of the participle
are quite synonymous.

353. The equivalent of the Hindi ^sTT WFH cala jana

is the intensive compound ^f% «rr?^ cal* jcleb or ^f% TT9^ cal 1

hoeb. Thus :

T?f% JM aflflWT wNrfr, cal' gel jogiya-jaj at'*, they went away
to Jogiya-Janjari

*5TH ^ ^Tgfsr <<*f% Sfc f^I <.<<U*i, hUth lelS barhan cal
1 x

bhel'1 sihgh dar a baj, taking the broom in her hand she went to
the main door of the house.

3P5T MW*f % ^1% wf% %, kuvja bhabana sd call bheli he, (as)

she came out of the arbour ( Yid. xxi, 1 ).

^f% "fi^ cal 1 hoeb

^f% WTinr caV jaeb means 'to go away,'

is simply '
to go.'

354. Attention has also been called in § 180 to the use of

the instrumental or locative of the third verbal noun or past
 —

298 Maithili Grammar. [§ 354.

participle to indicate continued action, especially to

the phrases
^T mm lelejaeb, to take away with one, and #^f ^T?^ lele aeb,

to bring with one, equivalent to the Hindi f%% *nWT liyejana and

fWf WrsTT Uye ana, respectively. Equivalent to the Hindi ^ <^TT

le ana or ^TTSTT land, is |f s&r?^ lai aeb, or ^n^ laeb, to bring.

Varieties of WT?1 lai deb are H

<jt fidqi S liaeb, w? SJT7* lay aeb,
and <?r ^r?? Id aeb. Equivalent to the Hindi si" STRT le jana is

^ (Wf or ^r) oi|t>q lai {lay or Id) j aeb, to take away. Thus:

ftf^ *rf#fr WCT ^trnr ^ ^mfe, Hcc/j,"- coni ham a ra otay lai
abdh, bring some silver to my house.

^I^t W%^ WV1 ^JT^ ^f <$[MT9, sivami sal a hes laeb jadu
sau lobhde, I will bring my lord Salhes, having enticed him by
enchantment.

^TTT ^7 ^T ^T^ ^1*1^ W\*i, ham a rd sau kt laibai ojah indm,

what reward or present will you bring from me ?

f*T ^I^t ^T ^r|-, ham con kai lailah*, having done theft, I
have brought (it).
•=>

*T «rr^, lai jah, take away, as in § 180.

^TTT W\m\ ^ ^3T ^T STT^rT, ham°ra sojha sd utha Id jaet, he

will take it away from before me.

^l^ ^TT5T ^RT I

hamard ranga rabhasa laya jaibaha (for jaibdh) 1

laibaha (for laibdh) kona sanSse II

Thou wilt also take away joy and passion,

also all my
What present will you bring (in return) (Vid. lv, 2).

More usual than *rr?* laeb is the verb s*tsr anab, to bring,"

as in ^ I ^sra ^tft
dk cam oh 1 rasay«ni ke
sftf? TWT^Nft

del a kai,
having brought silver (to the
fin*
* ^ ^W, dui sat rupai-

value) of two hundred rupees, he gave it to that

alchemist.
 PART IV.

Indeclinables.
A. Adverbs.

355. Henceforth. I shall not transliterate.

The following lists have been collected :—

I. Adverbs of Time.

Now. At first.

#[ m

\
Then.
V Early, at dawn.

When? I

When. ( Perhaps, some-

C times.

To-day.

Yesterday, to-mor- ??reT ^ In the meantime.

roic.

Now-a-days. At last.

The day before yes-

terday, or the
day after to- Often.
morroiv.

€t5T Quickly.

Instantly.
> Every day.

Afterioards.

> Always. Again.

Once.
f*rf* Continually.
300 Maithili Grammar. [§ 356.

356. II. Adverbs of Place.

VWZf
 :

301
Adverbs.
§ 361.]

Negation.
358. IV. Adverbs of Affirmation and
fc
«rj, Enough !
Yes
xV°' "°*-
f^T^f, Certainly. *ft *> *> *•
Jo not (with Lm-
&m*& ,
,
Doubtlessly.
,
*&> Ao
**, xrfir
-=r=- A"o <

., perative").
l
^l?J, hecessarity.
further examples of Compound
359. The following are

Adverbs —
*
:

Mm. Bto-iem.
7« if*, Once upon « *"f.
**| ^, Mwkw*.
<*fw *fw, Sometimes.

KB »<w, ye*.
tf^t ^fT, *rft &, 1/ not,
else.

*fw^fr, OTT^; WTO *f^ft**fW, Some Mne or

T^Z «."7ie« ? Bow long ? other.

Somewhere or
*fW Hff, fflwar. «fl| * *H$,
0?i bo£/i sides, aZZ round, other.
^T f^T

in which adverbs take the

360. The followmg'are examples
signs of cases after them

^^ m *B TO \»
JVb« A the best time. (Lit. Tfce time of

now

to-day.
is

*fw
good).

(Lit.
U^^^ From
1 **"
that time to-day a (first)
noi seew you nnce

meeting has occurred).

_

**K ^ Zen ^ * came to Ms smSeS '

*mm* w mi* e

' VWrr ° U''

uts °fffrom t0 day t0 t0
*mw*&*™*f*. Ee P -

(Lit. He calls to-day to-morroic).

Particles of Emphasis.

361. These are f and f, or ff, only, even, aad * and s or

enclitically, and whea aay

* also, even. They are always used
 — —

302 Maithili Grammar. [§ 362.

of them is added to a word ending in s?r, that ^T is omitted.

Examples : '^^T^t, mine only (^?n;+i ),or me o*%(^RT+t); ^rifff,

even now, already ; ^*nj or WT|", mine also, or me also ; ^rTT,

a reply, kidO, even a reply ; ^^l|", even ones oxen.

B. Postpositions.

362. The following is a list of the more usual Postpositions :

^T3T, WTUT, Before. ^p^ ?fr»fff, Facing.

^tW, ^^¥, T*T$f, Behind. ^TWHT, Before.

Vlf^, Except. ^^t, For, on account of. .

^PTT, -Above. f^«T, f^rr, IFiYAoui, except.

•f^T, Beneath. «tlf^T, 0«£.

T^, T, Ora, upem. ^JT, TFiY/i. [(of).

*?tWT, TFiY7w'«. «K.^T, -?» exchange (for), instead

W5i, Tip to. sr«*I, lake.

The above all govern either the simple oblique form or else
the genitive case, saving Wlff', except, and f^r or fasn, without.

The latter governs either the Instrumental or the Dative,

as in :

f^5fT M<\<a *jf «kl«il f<«(*l JUTT?^, 7iOw? shall I pass my days
ivithout a husband ?

fa»U 3^5 3T f^TT "5^^ tfr ^?rf%, did a woman sleep so long

ivithout (her) husband.

wrfe takes the accusative. ^Il^r wrfe f%^ <rf%, nothing but
£Ae husk.

C. Conjunction.

363. The following are the more useful :

—
^TOK, *ft, or ^t And. ^...^, Either. ..or.

% or far, That. ^tjj, Bui.

M^. Else, even. iff, Ijf.

•T, 27te»,
R 36-i.] Interjections.

often idiomatically omitted. Thus :

*ff is

Whfft *TO tmwww W, if ajetvelhr had got this

then he icould have been much pleased.

364. D. Interjections, see § 93. Others as in Hindi.

ERRATA.
 Errata. 305

Page 55, line 18, for o

55
21, „ carhnbai

2, from bottom, for M

*5 11 J» 1) *•

11, for ^f%

13, „ *
23, „ %¥... kesa

3, ,, dekhau
4, „ dekhah*
6, „ ^>
2, from bottom, for ^ read wt
1, and heading. This page should commence with

„ 133, line 18, for mx-y read «kt-jt

„ 139, „ 9, „ ^ ., ^
,, 155, „ 7, from bottom, for lagal a think* read lagal a thinh~'
,, 216, ,, 9, for sees read is visible

„ 270, ,, 10, „ two „ two hundred

,, 302, ,, 2, from bottom, for «ff „ «lf

„ „ last line, for % „ «T

„ 303, line 1, ,, *ff „ 5TT

 SeeiJ. APPENDIX
To&Ia sJi&rinfftkc various alphabets i^setLtn Mithilas.

The, semivowel > is rwt uses? byKa^aslJis

1/L& voirelT. leuvq

suJbstiirtedforit-
 See §^y/J>PENDIX

s4 Sanskrit S£o~Jui> trrctterfirvZh& thre& characters

ofjfi&ulct.-

The Kazfoikl char<jucder is ru?t adapted, for w ri£iny

Sanskrit It has ncform,for s/cort medial t, arid

ruzs n& .sem-u/orrel t/cc.

U. C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES Cc

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