Why is णिजन्तः always सेट् ?

[Abhishek Mehta]

I have noticed in the dhatu tables that the पिजन्तः prakriya of even अनिट् dhatus are treated as सेट्. I am unable to find any sutra in the ashtadhyayi that commands such a treatment. I am guessing that it is perhaps due to change from अनुदात्तः to स्वरितः or उदात्तः swaras due to णिच्. Can anyone please confirm or falsify this? Any direction in this regard will be appreciated.

[krishnap...@gmail.com]

This is from Gemini AI

You have a sharp eye for the mechanics of the Ashtadhyayi. Your intuition regarding the change in accent (svara) is exactly where the answer lies.

You are correct: Pijanta (Causative/Nic) forms are always Set ($\text{सेट्}$), even if the original Dhatu is Anit ($\text{अ‍निट्}$).

The reason is not a single "command" sutra, but rather a logical consequence of how the it-agama (insertion of the vowel 'i') is governed based on the properties of the root.

---

1. The Root of the Change: Upadesha vs. Pratyaya

In Paninian grammar, the Anit status is determined by the root in its Upadesha (original instructional) state. Most Anit roots are Anudatta (low-pitched) in the Dhatupatha.

However, when you apply Nic (णिच्) to a Dhatu, you are creating a new derived root (Sanaadyanta Dhatu). According to the sutra:

तस्थस्थमिपां तांतंतामः (३.१.२६) and specifically सनाद्यन्ता धातवः (३.१.३२)

Once Nic is added, the entity is no longer just the original root; it is a derivative.

2. Why it becomes Set

The it-agama for Ardhadhatuka suffixes (like tumun, tavyat, etc.) is generally governed by:

आर्धधातुकस्येड्वलादेः (७.२.३५) — This mandates the it augment for suffixes beginning with a Val pratyahara consonant.

The exceptions (the Anit rules) are defined by:

एकाच उपदेशेऽनुदात्तात् (७.२.१०) — This prohibits the it augment only for roots that are monosyllabic (Ekaca) and Anudatta in their original state (Upadesha).

Here is the breakdown of why the Nic-form fails this "Anit" test:

• Not Anudatta: As you suspected, the Nic suffix has an Ic (i) which is high-pitched (Udatta) because it is a Pratyaya (आद्युदात्तश्च ३.१.३). The resulting base is no longer Anudatta.

• Not Ekaca: The original root might be one syllable (e.g., bhū), but the Nic-form (bhāvi) is now bisyllabic (Aneka-aca).

Since the derived root (bhāvi, kāri, etc.) is neither monosyllabic nor Anudatta, it fails to meet the criteria of Sutra 7.2.10. Therefore, it reverts to the general rule (7.2.35) and accepts the it augment.

[Ram Kanshi]

When the suffix णिच् is added, the root ceases to be एकाच्, which is also a condition for the root to be अनिट्। Moreover, when a suffix ending in च् is added, the derivative becomes अन्तोदात्त। So, nothing remains which conditions the root to be अनिट्।

On Thu, 8 Jan 2026 at 8:43 AM, Abhishek Mehta <docabh...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have noticed in the dhatu tables that the पिजन्तः prakriya of even अनिट् dhatus are treated as सेट्. I am unable to find any sutra in the ashtadhyayi that commands such a treatment. I am guessing that it is perhaps due to change from अनुदात्तः to स्वरितः or उदात्तः swaras due to णिच्. Can anyone please confirm or falsify this? Any direction in this regard will be appreciated.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bvparishat+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bvparishat/CAN9yavDpbS3c-d7ui%2BEtQvg%2BAMKtF_y1drhx8Qu4POM_DmhfgQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Abhishek Mehta]

Ah yes. Good point. Thank you very much.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bvparishat/CAEdOMxjMPg7wgLEsD9Sgg74hQV-MZ_E2OZ%3DfJYdSqEPcEHDWog%40mail.gmail.com.

[Abhishek Mehta]

Sorry. I don't accept and appreciate AI answers.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bvparishat+...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bvparishat/f712a395-e4dd-4a1c-a166-3f0bbc27e5a3n%40googlegroups.com.