Sanskrit Translation: The Power of Upasargas
Sanskrit has only around 2,000 Dhatus, or root verbs. But, when these root words combine with one of the ~21 Upasargas, or prefixes, the meaning can completely change.
Sanskrit has only around 2,000 Dhatus, or root verbs. But, when these root words combine with one of the ~21 Upasargas, or prefixes, the meaning can completely change.
My MA Sanskrit Studies teacher Dr. Arjuna has shared a shloka that describes the power of Upasargas:
उपसर्गात् हि धात्वर्थः बलात् अन्यत्र नीयते ।
प्रहार-आहार-संहार-विहार-परिहारवत् ।।
upasargāt hi dhātvarthaḥ balāt anyatra nīyate ।
prahāra-āhāra-saṃhāra-vihāra-parihāravat ।।
This shloka says that an Upasarga can completely and forcefully change the meaning of the Dhatu. Then it gives an example of हृ (hṛ) Dhatu, which means to snatch and grab. However, when made into a noun हार (hāra), it means garland (like a flower garland!).
When an Upasarga is added to हार, garland, the meaning takes a completely different unrelated meanings!
हार - garland
प्र + हार (prahāra) = to hit
आ + हार (āhāra) = food
सं + हार (saṃhāra) = to kill
वि + हार (vihāra) = to roam
उप + हार (upahāra) = snack
Furthermore, while the prefixes have some general common meanings (e.g. वि = contrary), these cannot be fully relied on… For example, in the case of संहार (saṃhāra), the upasarga सं (saṃ), which means good. But when combined with हार, instead of a “good garland” the meaning completely changes to “to kill”! This is the forcible changing of the meaning by the upasarga that the shloka describes!
Another interesting example that Dr. Arjuna brought up was दुर्योधन (Duryodhana), the “bad” Kaurava leader from the Mahabharta. दुर्योधन has the Upasarga दुर्, which means bad. योधन means fighter. So the direct translation could mean “bad fighter”. But here, the “bad” doesn’t just mean in character, but could also mean that it is a “bad idea to fight with him” as he was actually a very strong and good fighter. In other, the meaning is actually the opposite of a “bad fighter”!
In this way, each Upasarga, can have a positive or negative meaning, or just completely change the meaning of a Dhatu in a very different unrelated way! Never assume the meaning of the upasarga and world when translating Sanskrit, but check the context and look into multiple meanings of the same words that could be possible. Only then choose the meaning that makes sense in that specific context!