upasarga

{{about|a term in Sanskrit grammar|the concept in Yoga|Upasarga (yoga)}}

Upasarga is a term used in Sanskrit grammar for a special class of twenty prepositional particles prefixed to verbs or to action nouns.Monier-Williams, p.210 In Vedic, these prepositions are separable from verbs; in classical Sanskrit the prefixing is obligatory.

The twenty prefixes (in Indic alphabetical order) are recognized in Pāṇini's Ashtadhyayi at 1.4.58-59,Katre, p.91 and are enumerated in the Pāṇini#Gaņapāțha (#154):Katre, p.1301

1. ati- "beyond"
2. adhi- "over"
3. apa- "away"
4. api- "proximate"
5. abhi- "to, towards"
6. anu- "after"
7. ava- "off, down"
8. āṅ- "near"
9. ut-/ud- "up(wards)"
10. upa- "towards, near"
11. dus-/dur- "bad, difficult, hard"
12. ni- "down"
13. nis-/nir- "away"
14. parā- "away"
15. pari- "round, around"
16. pra- "forth"
17. prati- "against"
18. vi- "apart, asunder"
19. sam-/saṃ- "with"
20. su- "good, excellent"

By the usual rules of euphonic combination the two prepositions ending in visarga, {{IAST|niḥ}} and {{IAST|duḥ}}, have the alternative forms nis-/nir- and dus-/dur- respectively. The {{IAST|gaṇapāṭha}} listing has these variants, not the forms in pausa, and thus has twenty-two items in all.

A versified form of this list may be found in modern primers or textbooks:

{{Quotation|

{{IAST|praparāpasamanvavanirdurabhivyadhisūdatinipratiparyapayaḥ}}

{{IAST|upa āṅiti viṃśatireṣa sakhe upasargavidhiḥ kathitaḥ kavinā}}

{{IAST|pra_parā_apa_sam_anu_ava_nir_dur_abhi_vi_adhi_su_ud_ati_ni_prati_pari_apayaḥ(api)}}

{{IAST|upaḥ āṅ iti viṃśatiḥ eṣa sakhe upasarga_vidhiḥ kathitaḥ kavinā}}

}}