Sandhi (सन्धि-कार्य) MCQs Quiz | Class 9

सन्धि (Sandhi): An Applied Grammar Overview

सन्धि (Sandhi) is a fundamental concept in Sanskrit grammar, referring to the euphonic combination of letters (वर्ण). When two letters come together in a sequence, certain changes occur based on specific rules. Mastery of Sandhi is crucial for understanding Sanskrit texts, as it helps in breaking down complex words into their constituent parts and in constructing grammatically correct sentences. This section provides a detailed overview of the various types of Sandhi, aligning with your curriculum.

१. स्वरसन्धिः (Swara Sandhi / Vowel Sandhi)

स्वरसन्धि occurs when two vowels combine, resulting in a change in one or both vowels. It is further categorized into several types:

• दीर्घसन्धिः (Dirgha Sandhi – Long Vowel Combination): When two similar simple vowels (ह्रस्व or दीर्घ) come together, they combine to form a single long (दीर्घ) vowel.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): अ + अ = आ (वेद + अन्तः = वेदान्तः), इ + इ = ई (कवि + इन्द्रः = कवीन्द्रः), उ + उ = ऊ (भानु + उदयः = भानूदयः), ऋ + ऋ = ऋ (पितृ + ऋणम् = पितॄणम्)
• गुणसन्धिः (Guna Sandhi): When ‘अ’ or ‘आ’ is followed by ‘इ’ or ‘ई’, they combine to form ‘ए’. If followed by ‘उ’ or ‘ऊ’, they form ‘ओ’. If followed by ‘ऋ’, they form ‘अर्’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): अ + इ = ए (देव + इन्द्रः = देवेन्द्रः), अ + उ = ओ (हित + उपदेशः = हितोपदेशः), अ + ऋ = अर् (महा + ऋषिः = महर्षिः)
• वृद्धिसन्धिः (Vriddhi Sandhi): When ‘अ’ or ‘आ’ is followed by ‘ए’ or ‘ऐ’, they combine to form ‘ऐ’. If followed by ‘ओ’ or ‘औ’, they form ‘औ’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): अ + ए = ऐ (एक + एकम् = एकैकम्), आ + ओ = औ (महा + ओषधिः = महौषधिः)
• यण्सन्धिः (Yan Sandhi): When ‘इ/ई’, ‘उ/ऊ’, or ‘ऋ’ is followed by a dissimilar vowel, ‘इ/ई’ changes to ‘य्’, ‘उ/ऊ’ to ‘व्’, and ‘ऋ’ to ‘र्’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): इ + अ = य् + अ (इति + आदि = इत्यादि), उ + अ = व् + अ (सु + आगतम् = स्वागतम्), ऋ + आ = र् + आ (पितृ + आज्ञा = पित्राज्ञा)
• अयादिसन्धिः (Ayadi Sandhi): When ‘ए’, ‘ऐ’, ‘ओ’, ‘औ’ are followed by any vowel, ‘ए’ becomes ‘अय्’, ‘ऐ’ becomes ‘आय्’, ‘ओ’ becomes ‘अव्’, and ‘औ’ becomes ‘आव्’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): ने + अनम् = नयनम् (ए + अ = अय्), गै + अकः = गायकः (ऐ + अ = आय्), पो + अनम् = पवनम् (ओ + अ = अव्), नौ + इकः = नाविकः (औ + इ = आवि)

२. व्यञ्जनसन्धिः (Vyanjana Sandhi / Consonant Sandhi)

व्यञ्जनसन्धि occurs when a consonant combines with another consonant or a vowel, leading to a change in the consonant. Key types include:

• वर्गीय प्रथम वर्णस्य तृतीयवर्णे परिवर्तनम् (First letter of a class changing to third – जश्त्व सन्धि): If the first letter of a consonant class (क्, च्, ट्, त्, प्) is followed by a vowel or a third/fourth/fifth consonant or ह, य, व, र, then the first letter changes to the third letter of its own class (ग्, ज्, ड्, द्, ब्).
  उदाहरणम् (Example): दिक् + गजः = दिग्गजः, जगत् + ईशः = जगदीशः
• म् → अनुस्वारः (M changing to Anusvara): If ‘म्’ at the end of a word is followed by any consonant, it changes to अनुस्वार (ं).
  उदाहरणम् (Example): हरिम् + वन्दे = हरिं वन्दे, सत्यम् + वद = सत्यं वद
• त्/द् → ल् सन्धिः (T/D to L Sandhi): If ‘त्’ or ‘द्’ is followed by ‘ल्’, then ‘त्’ or ‘द्’ changes to ‘ल्’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): तत् + लीनः = तल्लीनः
• श्चुत्व सन्धिः (Ścutva Sandhi): When ‘स्’ or ‘त्’ वर्ग (त्, थ्, द्, ध्, न्) is followed by ‘श्’ or ‘च्’ वर्ग (च्, छ्, ज्, झ्, ञ्), then ‘स्’ changes to ‘श्’ and ‘त्’ वर्ग changes to ‘च्’ वर्ग.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): सत् + चित् = सच्चित्

३. विसर्गसन्धिः (Visarga Sandhi / Visarga Combination)

विसर्गसन्धि deals with the changes that occur to विसर्ग (ः) when it is followed by a vowel or a consonant. Some common types are:

• उत्वसन्धिः (Utva Sandhi): If ‘अ’ precedes ‘विसर्ग’ (ः) and is followed by ‘अ’ or any soft consonant (third, fourth, fifth letter, or य, व, र, ल, ह), then ‘अ + ः’ combine to form ‘ओ’, and if followed by ‘अ’, that ‘अ’ is dropped and marked with ‘ऽ’ (अवग्रह).
  उदाहरणम् (Example): मनः + रथः = मनोरथः, सः + अवदत् = सोऽवदत्
• शत्वसन्धिः (Shatva Sandhi – ‘श्’ form): If ‘विसर्ग’ (ः) is followed by ‘च्’ or ‘छ्’, it changes to ‘श्’. If followed by ‘श्’, it remains ‘श्’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): रामः + चिनोति = रामश्चिनोति
• षत्वसन्धिः (Shatva Sandhi – ‘ष्’ form): If ‘विसर्ग’ (ः) is followed by ‘ट्’ or ‘ठ्’, it changes to ‘ष्’. If followed by ‘ष्’, it remains ‘ष्’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): धनुः + टंकारः = धनुष्टंकारः
• सत्वसन्धिः (Satva Sandhi – ‘स्’ form): If ‘विसर्ग’ (ः) is followed by ‘त्’ or ‘थ्’, it changes to ‘स्’. If followed by ‘स्’, it remains ‘स्’.
  उदाहरणम् (Example): नमः + ते = नमस्ते, निस् + सन्देह = निस्सन्देह (can also be निःसन्देह)

सन्धि-भेदानाम् सारणी (Summary Table of Sandhi Types)

शीघ्र पुनरीक्षणम् (Quick Revision Points)

• सन्धि combines letters to avoid phonetic clashes and ease pronunciation.
• Three main types: स्वर (Vowel), व्यञ्जन (Consonant), विसर्ग (Visarga).
• स्वरसन्धि rules depend on the type of vowels combining (e.g., similar vowels for दीर्घ, अ/आ with others for गुण/वृद्धि).
• व्यञ्जनसन्धि often involves a consonant changing its class or becoming an अनुस्वार.
• विसर्गसन्धि rules depend on the letter following the विसर्ग (ः), often changing it to ‘स्’, ‘श्’, ‘ष्’, or ‘ओ’.
• Practicing Sandhi-vichheda (separation) and Sandhi-karana (combination) is key.

अतिरिक्त अभ्यास-प्रश्नाः (Additional Practice Questions)

1. ‘मम’ + ‘अंशः’ = ?
2. ‘कवि’ + ‘ईशः’ = ?
3. ‘भानु’ + ‘उदयः’ = ?
4. ‘इति’ + ‘एव’ = ?
5. ‘अहम्’ + ‘गच्छामि’ = ?