संख्या 1–100 (Numbers 1–100): A Detailed Guide
Sanskrit numbers, known as ‘Saṅkhyā’ (संख्या), are fundamental to understanding and speaking the language. While numbers 5-100 generally remain constant regardless of the noun’s gender, numbers 1-4 are unique because they inflect for gender, number, and case, much like adjectives. This guide focuses on understanding these crucial initial numbers, especially in the Nominative case (प्रथमा विभक्तिः), and extends to the basic forms of numbers up to 100.
Key Concepts of Sanskrit Numbers
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Gender Agreement (1-4):
The numbers ‘one’, ‘two’, ‘three’, and ‘four’ agree in gender with the noun they qualify. This is a critical distinction from English numbers. We will focus on the Nominative case (प्रथमा विभक्तिः), which is used for the subject of a sentence.
- एक (One):
- पुंल्लिङ्गम् (Masculine): एकः (ekaḥ) – e.g., एकः पुरुषः (ekaḥ puruṣaḥ – one man)
- स्त्रीलिङ्गम् (Feminine): एका (ekā) – e.g., एका महिला (ekā mahilā – one woman)
- नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter): एकम् (ekam) – e.g., एकं फलम् (ekaṃ phalam – one fruit)
- द्वि (Two): (Always Dual Number)
- पुंल्लिङ्गम् (Masculine): द्वौ (dvau) – e.g., द्वौ छात्रौ (dvau chātrau – two students)
- स्त्रीलिङ्गम् (Feminine): द्वे (dve) – e.g., द्वे कन्ये (dve kanye – two girls)
- नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter): द्वे (dve) – e.g., द्वे पुस्तके (dve pustake – two books)
- त्रि (Three): (Always Plural Number)
- पुंल्लिङ्गम् (Masculine): त्रयः (trayaḥ) – e.g., त्रयः बालकाः (trayaḥ bālakāḥ – three boys)
- स्त्रीलिङ्गम् (Feminine): तिस्रः (tisraḥ) – e.g., तिस्रः नद्यः (tisraḥ nadyaḥ – three rivers)
- नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter): त्रीणि (trīṇi) – e.g., त्रीणि मित्राणि (trīṇi mitrāṇi – three friends)
- चतुर् (Four): (Always Plural Number)
- पुंल्लिङ्गम् (Masculine): चत्वारः (catvāraḥ) – e.g., चत्वारः ऋषयः (catvāraḥ ṛṣayaḥ – four sages)
- स्त्रीलिङ्गम् (Feminine): चतस्रः (catasraḥ) – e.g., चतस्रः शाखाः (catasraḥ śākhāḥ – four branches)
- नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter): चत्वारि (catvāri) – e.g., चत्वारि गृहाणि (catvāri gṛhāṇi – four houses)
- एक (One):
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Numbers 5 onwards:
From five onwards (पञ्च, pañca), the cardinal numbers generally do not change their form based on the gender of the noun they qualify. They typically take the plural form of the noun.
Example: पञ्च पुरुषाः (pañca puruṣāḥ – five men), पञ्च महिलाः (pañca mahilāḥ – five women), पञ्च फलानि (pañca phalāni – five fruits).
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Building Larger Numbers:
Sanskrit numbers follow a pattern similar to English for numbers like twenty-one, thirty-two, etc. The unit digit is usually mentioned first, followed by the tens digit.
- 21: एकविंशतिः (ekaviṃśatiḥ – one-twenty)
- 32: द्वात्रिंशत् (dvātriṃśat – two-thirty)
- 45: पञ्चचत्वारिंशत् (pañcacatvāriṃśat – five-forty)
Table: Sanskrit Numbers 1-10 with Gender Variations (Nominative)
| Number | Masculine (पुंल्लिङ्गम्) | Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्गम्) | Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्गम्) | General (5+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | एकः | एका | एकम् | – |
| 2 | द्वौ | द्वे | द्वे | – |
| 3 | त्रयः | तिस्रः | त्रीणि | – |
| 4 | चत्वारः | चतस्रः | चत्वारि | – |
| 5 | – | – | – | पञ्च |
| 6 | – | – | – | षट् |
| 7 | – | – | – | सप्त |
| 8 | – | – | – | अष्ट |
| 9 | – | – | – | नव |
| 10 | – | – | – | दश |
Quick Revision Points
- Numbers 1-4 agree in gender, number, and case with the noun.
- For Class 9, focus on the Nominative (प्रथमा) forms of 1-4.
- Numbers 5-100 generally do not change form for gender.
- Learn the basic tens (दश, विंशतिः, त्रिंशत्, चत्वारिंशत्, पञ्चाशत्, षष्टिः, सप्ततिः, अशीतिः, नवतिः, शतम्).
- Compound numbers (like 21) combine the unit and then the ten.
Practice Questions (अभ्यास-प्रश्नाः)
- Fill in the blank: _____ बालिका पठति। (for ‘one’)
- Translate ‘two trees’ (nominative masculine) into Sanskrit.
- How would you say ‘three women’ (nominative feminine)?
- Write the Sanskrit word for ‘seventy-five’.
- What is the Sanskrit term for ‘eighty-nine’?
