Upasarga facts for kids

Upasarga is a special word used in Sanskrit grammar. Think of them as small words that are added to the beginning of other words, especially verbs (action words) or nouns that come from verbs. These prefixes change the meaning of the main word.

In ancient Vedic times, these prefixes could sometimes stand alone, separate from the verb. But in later, more common Sanskrit, they always had to be attached to the verb.

What Are Upasargas?

There are twenty main Upasarga prefixes. A famous grammarian named Pāṇini listed them in his book, the Aṣṭādhyāyī. They are also found in a special list called the gaṇapāṭha.

Here are the twenty Upasarga prefixes and what they generally mean:

• pra- meaning "forth" or "forward"
• parā- meaning "away" or "back"
• apa- meaning "away" or "off"
• sam- meaning "with" or "together"
• anu- meaning "after" or "along"
• ava- meaning "off" or "down"
• niḥ- meaning "out" or "away"
• duḥ- meaning "bad," "difficult," or "hard"
• vi- meaning "apart" or "asunder"
• ā- meaning "near" or "towards"
• ni- meaning "down" or "into"
• adhi- meaning "over" or "on"
• api- meaning "near" or "on"
• ati- meaning "beyond" or "over"
• su- meaning "good" or "excellent"
• ut- meaning "up" or "upwards"
• abhi- meaning "to" or "towards"
• prati- meaning "against" or "back"
• pari- meaning "around" or "about"
• upa- meaning "towards" or "near"

How They Change Form

Sometimes, the Upasargas niḥ and duḥ can change their form slightly. This happens because of special sound rules in Sanskrit called sandhi (euphonic combination).

• niḥ can become nis- or nir-.
• duḥ can become dus- or dur-.

Because of these changes, the list of Upasargas sometimes appears to have twenty-two items instead of just twenty.

A Poem to Remember Them

Many modern Sanskrit books for students include a short poem to help people remember all the Upasargas. It's a fun way to learn them!

praparāpasamanvavanirdurabhivyadhisūdatinipratiparyapayaḥ
upāṅiti viṃsatir eṣa sakhe upasargavidhiḥ kathitaḥ kavinā

This poem basically says: "Pra, parā, apa, sam, anu, ava, nir, dur, abhi, vi, adhi, su, ut, ni, prati, pari, api, upa, and ā – these are the twenty Upasargas, my friend, as told by the poet."

Where to Learn More

If you want to dive deeper into Sanskrit grammar and Upasargas, here are some books that can help:

• Monier-Williams, M., A Sanskrit English Dictionary, (reprint) New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass 2005 ISBN: 81-208-3105-5
• Katre, Sumitra M., Aṣṭādhyāyī of Pānini, New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass 1989