Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Parishishtam 3 - Vachyam (Voice)

Detailed Chapter Roadmap & Structural Overview

The study of Vachyam (Voice) is a core pillar of Sanskrit syntax and grammar, featured in the Class 9 curriculum as Parishishtam 3. It governs how the relation between the verbal action (Kriya) and its participants—primarily the agent (Karta) and the object (Karma)—is syntactically expressed.

The chapter systematically categorizes voice transformations into three distinct structural frameworks:

1. Kartari Prayog (Kartri-Vachyam / Active Voice): The syntactic focus centers entirely on the doer or agent (Karta). The verb conforms in person and number directly to the agent.
2. Karmani Prayog (Karma-Vachyam / Passive Voice): The syntactic focus shifts to the object (Karma). The agent recedes into the instrumental case, while the verb changes its morphological structure using the Yak (य) vikaran and conforms to the object.
3. Bhave Prayog (Impersonal Passive Voice): Utilized exclusively for intransitive verbs (Akaramakadhatavah) where no direct object exists. The verb remains perpetually in the third-person singular (Pratham Purush Ekavachan), while the agent takes the instrumental case.

Learning Objectives

• Master the conceptual and structural differences between Kartari, Karmani, and Bhave Prayog across various Lakaras (Tenses/Moods).
• Understand case-shifting mechanisms (Vibhakti transformations) from Nominative to Instrumental and Accusative to Nominative.
• Learn root modifications and conjugation patterns involving the Yak (य) suffix for Atmanepada endings in passive constructions.
• Accurately convert active sentences into passive and impersonal forms and vice-versa in examination-style exercises.
• Apply voice rules flawlessly to participles (Kta, Ktavat, Tavyat, Aniyar) to maintain syntactical harmony in Sanskrit composition.

Important Concepts (Expanded & Deepened)

1. Kartari Prayog (Active Voice)

In Kartari Prayog, the subject or doer of the action holds the primary position of prominence in the sentence.

• Syntactical Structure:
  • Karta (Subject) is always in the Prathama Vibhakti (Nominative Case).
  • Karma (Object, if transitive) is always in the Dwitiya Vibhakti (Accusative Case).
  • Kriya (Verb) agrees explicitly with the Karta in Purush (Person) and Vachan (Number).
• Comprehensive Real-World Example: Consider the sentence "The student reads the book" — छात्रः पुस्तकं पठति। Here, छात्रः (The student) is the agent in Prathama Vibhakti, पुस्तकं (The book) is the object in Dwitiya Vibhakti, and the verb पठति (reads) is in the Pragmatic Third Person Singular, matching छात्रः. If the subject changes to plural (छात्राः), the verb transforms accordingly to पठन्ति.

2. Karmani Prayog (Passive Voice)

When the emphasis of the sentence shifts from the doer of the action to the recipient or object of the action, Karmani Prayog is deployed.

• Syntactical Structure:
  • Karta (Subject) drops its nominative status and shifts to the Tritiya Vibhakti (Instrumental Case), indicating that the agent is now the instrument through which the action is accomplished.
  • Karma (Object) is promoted to the Prathama Vibhakti (Nominative Case), becoming the central pivot of the sentence.
  • Kriya (Verb) now agrees in person, number, and gender with the Karma (Object), not the agent.
• Morphological Derivation Rules: The verbal root undergoes a specific transformation. The infix 'Yak' (य) is inserted between the verbal root and the verbal endings. Crucially, the verb adopts Atmanepada (Middle voice) personal endings, regardless of whether the original root is Parasmaipadi or Atmanepadī.
• Comprehensive Real-World Example: Converting the active छात्रः पुस्तकं पठति into passive yields छात्रेण पुस्तकं पठ्यते। (The book is read by the student). Notice how छात्रः becomes छात्रेण (Tritiya Vibhakti), पुस्तकं remains पुस्तकं (Prathama Vibhakti neuter singular), and पठति transforms into पठ्यते (Root Path + ya + te).

3. Bhave Prayog (Impersonal Passive Voice)

Bhave Prayog is a specialized grammatical construct applied when the verb is intransitive (Akaramaka—possessing no direct object). Because there is no Karma to take the nominative case and dictate the verb's form, a neutral impersonal structure is required.

• Syntactical Structure:
  • Karta (Subject) is placed in the Tritiya Vibhakti (Instrumental Case).
  • There is no Karma present in the sentence.
  • Kriya (Verb) is always fixed in the Third Person Singular (Pratham Purush Ekavachan) of the Atmanepada passive form (-yate), completely independent of the number or person of the subject.
• Comprehensive Real-World Example: Take the intransitive active sentence बालकः हसति (The boy laughs). Transformed into Bhave Prayog, it becomes बालकेन हस्यते। (Laughing is done by the boy / It is laughed by the boy). Even if the subject is plural (बालकैः), the verb remains steadfastly हस्यते.

Key Definitions

• Vachyam (Voice): The grammatical category that reflects the semantic relationship between the verbal action and its nominal arguments (Karta and Karma).
• Kartari Prayog: An active sentence structure where the verb is governed by the nominative subject.
• Karmani Prayog: A passive sentence structure where the verb is governed by the nominative object and the agent takes the instrumental case.
• Bhave Prayog: An impersonal sentence structure used exclusively with intransitive verbs where the verb defaults to the third-person singular.
• Yak (य): The specific grammatical vikaran suffix inserted before Atmanepada endings when forming passive verbs.
• Akaramaka Dhatu: Intransitive verbal roots that cannot take a direct object.
• Sakaramaka Dhatu: Transitive verbal roots that require or can take a direct object.

Important Terms & Transformation Matrix

Voice Category	Karta (Subject) Vibhakti	Karma (Object) Vibhakti	Verb Agreement Rule	Verb Morphology (Lat-lakara)
Kartari Prayog	Prathama (1st)	Dwitiya (2nd)	Agrees with Karta	Regular Parasmaipada/Atmanepada endings
Karmani Prayog	Tritiya (3rd)	Prathama (1st)	Agrees with Karma	Root + Yak (य) + Atmanepada endings (-te, -ete, -ante)
Bhave Prayog	Tritiya (3rd)	None (Intransitive)	Always 3rd Person Singular	Root + Yak (य) + -te (Always singular)

Deep-Dive Case Studies and Real-Life Applications

In classical Sanskrit literature, epic poetry, and modern formal writing, the choice between active and passive voice is not merely mechanical; it carries rhetorical weight.

• Stylistic Shift in Literature: When an author wishes to defocus the doer of an action—either because the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or to create an objective, dramatic tone—Karmani Prayog is heavily utilized. For instance, in historical narratives, instead of writing "The king built the temple" (नृपः मन्दिरम् अकरोत्), a writer might state "The temple was built by the king" (नृपेण मन्दिरम् अक्रीअत/कारि), elevating the architectural monument as the focal point of the narrative landscape.
• Everyday Conversational Usage: In daily routines, intransitive expressions frequently trigger Bhave Prayog when describing collective experiences or ambient states: e.g., Active: वयम् श्वः हसामः (We will laugh tomorrow) vs. Bhave: अस्माभिः श्वः हस्यते (It will be laughed by us / There will be laughing by us tomorrow).

Step-by-Step Problem Solving Strategies for Transformations

When presented with a sentence conversion problem in examinations, follow this methodical algorithm:

1. Step 1: Identify the Dhatu (Verb) Type.
   • Is the verb transitive (Sakaramaka) or intransitive (Akaramaka)?
   • If intransitive, you can never use Karmani Prayog; you must use Bhave Prayog.
2. Step 2: Analyze the Active Sentence (Kartari).
   • Locate the Karta (Nominative) and Karma (Accusative).
3. Step 3: Execute Case Replacements.
   • Convert the Karta from Prathama Vibhakti to Tritiya Vibhakti (e.g., बालकः $\rightarrow$ बालकेन, ते $\rightarrow$ तैः, अहम् $\rightarrow$ मया, युवाम् $\rightarrow$ युवाभ्याम्).
   • If transitive, convert the Karma from Dwitiya Vibhakti to Prathama Vibhakti. (Remember: words ending in vowels or consonants change according to their respective declension tables in the nominative case).
4. Step 4: Modify the Verb Form.
   • For Karmani: Take the verbal root, add य (yak), and attach Atmanepada endings matching the new Prathama object in person and number.
   • For Bhave: Take the verbal root, add य (yak), and lock it into the Third Person Singular (-ते / -यते).
   • Note on Past and Future Tenses: In Past Tense forms utilizing suffixes like Kta (क्त) or Ktavat (क्तवतु), the passive voice drops Ktavat entirely and relies solely on the Kta participle matching the object in gender, number, and case. For potential moods (Vidhilin), use the Tavyat (तव्यत्) or Aniyar (अनीयर्) suffixes matching the object.

Comprehensive Conversion Examples Across Tenses

A. Present Tense (Lat-Lakara)

• Example 1 (Transitive):
  • Kartari: बालिका चित्रं पश्यति। (The girl looks at the picture.)
  • Karmani: बालिकया चित्रं दृश्यते। (The picture is looked at by the girl.)
• Example 2 (Intransitive):
  • Kartari: शिशुः क्रन्दति। (The infant cries.)
  • Bhave: शिशुना क्रन्द्यते। (Crying is done by the infant.)

B. Past Tense (Bhut-Kala via Kta Pratyaya)

• Example 1:
  • Kartari: नृपः ग्रन्थम् अलिखत्। / नृपः ग्रन्थम् लिखितवान्। (The king wrote the book.)
  • Karmani: नृपेण ग्रन्थः लिखितः। (The book was written by the king.)
• Example 2 (Feminine Object):
  • Kartari: छात्रः पाठं पठितवान्। $\rightarrow$ Karmani: छात्रेण पाठः पठितः।
  • Kartari: छात्रः कवितां पठितवान्। $\rightarrow$ Karmani: छात्रेण कविता पठिता। (Notice how the participle पठिता matches feminine singular कविता).

C. Potential / Obligation Mood (Vidhilin & Tavyat/Aniyar)

• Example 1:
  • Kartari: मया जलं पातव्यम् / पायम्। (I should drink water - active construction using potential participle, or standard Vidhilin:)
  • Kartari: त्वं पुस्तकं पठेः। (You should read the book.)
  • Karmani: त्वया पुस्तकं पठ्येत / पठितव्यम्। (The book should be read by you.)

Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Questions

1. Question: Analyze the sentence: "तेन ग्रामः गम्यते।" Identify the Prayog, convert it into Kartari Prayog, and explain the morphological changes that occur in the verb root Gam.
   • Answer: This is Karmani Prayog (indicated by Tritiya subject तेन, Prathama object ग्रामः, and passive verb गम्यते). Converting to Kartari Prayog: सः ग्रामं गच्छति (सः in Prathama, ग्रामम् in Dwitiya, and active root गच्छति matching the singular agent). The verb root गम in passive takes य and becomes गम्यते, whereas in active present tense, it morphs irregularly into गच्छति.
2. Question: Why can an intransitive verb (Akaramaka Dhatu) like जीव् (to live) or शी (to sleep) never form a valid Karmani Prayog sentence? Explain with syntactical reasoning.
   • Answer: Karmani Prayog requires a direct object (Karma) in the accusative case to shift to the nominative case and govern the passive verb. Since intransitive verbs inherently lack a direct object, there is no nominal element available to trigger object-verb agreement, necessitating the use of Bhave Prayog instead.

Previous Year Questions (PYQs) with Solutions

1. Q1 (Fill in the blanks with appropriate voice forms):
   • अध्यापकः पाठं पाठयति। (Convert to Passive) $\rightarrow$ अध्यापकेन पाठः पाठ्यते।
2. Q2:
   • मया हस्यते। (Identify the Prayog) $\rightarrow$ भावे प्रयोगः (Bhave Prayog), because the verb is intransitive (हस्) and the verb is fixed in the third-person singular with an instrumental agent.
3. Q3:
   • बालकेन चन्द्रः दृश्यते। (Convert to Active) $\rightarrow$ बालकः चन्द्रं पश्यति। (Reverting बालकेन to बालकः, दृश्यते root दृश् to active present पश्यति, and चन्द्रः to accusative चन्द्रम्).

NCERT Textbook Questions & Detailed Answers

Question 1: अधोलिखितानि वाक्यानि निर्देशानुसारं परिवर्तयत। (Transform the following sentences according to instructions.)

1. बालकः विद्यालयं गच्छति। (कर्मणि प्रयोगे परिवर्तयत - Convert to Passive Voice)

   • Detailed Answer: बालकेन विद्यालयः गम्यते।
   • Explanation: बालकः changes to instrumental बालकेन, the accusative destination विद्यालयम् shifts to nominative विद्यालयः, and the verb गच्छति transforms into the passive form गम्यते.

2. अश्वेन धाव्यते। (कर्तरि प्रयोगे परिवर्तयत - Convert to Active Voice)

   • Detailed Answer: अश्वः धावति।
   • Explanation: The instrumental agent अश्वेन reverts to nominative अश्वः, and the impersonal passive verb धाव्यते converts to the active third-person singular धावति.

3. तेन पुस्तकं पठ्यते। (कर्तरि प्रयोगे परिवर्तयत - Convert to Active Voice)

   • Detailed Answer: सः पुस्तकं पठति।
   • Explanation: Instrumental तेन becomes nominative सः, passive nominative पुस्तकम् remains accusative पुस्तकम् (neuter form remains identical), and passive verb पठ्यते converts to active पठति.

4. मया जलं पीयते। (कर्तरि प्रयोगे परिवर्तयत - Convert to Active Voice)

   • Detailed Answer: अहम् जलं पिबामि।
   • Explanation: Instrumental मया shifts to first-person pronoun nominative अहम्. The verb पीयते shifts to active first-person singular पिबामि to match अहम्.

Question 2: उचितैः पदैः रिक्तस्थानानि पूरयत। (Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.)

1. ______ ग्रन्थः लिख्यते। (बालकः / बालकेन)

   • Detailed Answer: बालकेन
   • Explanation: Since the verb लिख्यते is in passive voice and the object ग्रन्थः is in nominative case, the subject must be in the instrumental case (बालकेन).

2. कन्या चित्रं ______। (पश्यति / दृश्यते)

   • Detailed Answer: पश्यति
   • Explanation: The subject कन्या is in the nominative case and object चित्रम् is in the accusative case, signifying active voice (Kartari Prayog), which requires the active verb पश्यति.

3. तैः क्षीरं ______। (पीयतें / पीयते)

   • Detailed Answer: पीयते
   • Explanation: In passive voice, the verb agrees with the nominative object क्षीरम् (neuter singular), requiring the singular passive ending पीयते.