Question

According to Nirukta, the words such as pra, pari etc., which are used in the begining of some other word, a verb or a verbal derivative or a noun, to make a new word that means some activity, are called?

• A. Nāma
• B. Upasarga
• C. Ākhyāta
• D. Nipāta

Hint:

Remember Yāska's four categories of words: Nāma (Noun), Ākhyāta (Verb), Upasarga (Prefix), and Nipāta (Particle). The function described—a prefix that modifies a verb's meaning—is the classic definition of an Upasarga.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks for the grammatical term, as used in Yāska's Nirukta, for prefixes like \textit{pra} and \textit{pari} that are attached to verbs or nouns to modify their meaning.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
In the first chapter of the Nirukta, the author Yāska presents his famous four-fold classification of words (\textit{catvāri padajātāni}). These four categories are:
1. Nāma (Noun/Nominal): A word that denotes a being or substance.
2. Ākhyāta (Verb): A word that denotes an action or a process of becoming.
3. Upasarga (Prefix/Preposition): Words like \textit{pra}, \textit{pari}, \textit{apa}, \textit{sam}, etc., that are placed before a verb or a noun derived from a verb to specify or modify its meaning. The description in the question perfectly matches this definition. For example, \textit{hṛ} (to take) becomes \textit{prahṛ} (to strike) with the upasarga \textit{pra}.
4. Nipāta (Particle): Indeclinable words with various functions, such as comparison (\textit{iva}), conjunction (\textit{ca}), etc.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The term for words like \textit{pra} and \textit{pari} in this context is Upasarga. Therefore, option (2) is correct.