लट्
BeginnerPresent
वर्तमानकालः
An action happening now, or one that happens habitually.
।
He reads / is reading.
पठ्: पठति
लकाराः
The lakāras: tenses and moods
Pāṇini groups tense and mood into ten "lakāras". लिङ् has two uses, विधिलिङ् and आशीर्लिङ्, and लेट् occurs only in the Veda.
The learning order
- 1लट्Present
- 2लृट्Simple future
- 3लङ्Imperfect past
- 4लोट्Imperative
- 5विधिलिङ्Optative
After these come लिट्, लुट्, लुङ्, आशीर्लिङ् and लृङ्. For each root, only verified forms are shown.
Every lakāra at a glance
लृट्
BeginnerSimple future
सामान्यभविष्यत्कालः
An action that will happen.
।
He will read.
पठ्: पठिष्यति
लङ्
BeginnerImperfect past
अनद्यतनभूतकालः
A past action, strictly one not of today. Textbooks teach it first as the everyday past tense.
।
He read.
पठ्: अपठत्
लोट्
BeginnerImperative
आज्ञार्थः
Commands, requests and permission: read!, let him read, may I read?
।
You, read!
पठ्: पठतु
विधिलिङ्
BeginnerOptative
विध्यर्थः
Advice, duty, possibility: he should read, he might read.
।
He should read.
पठ्: पठेत्
लिट्
IntermediatePerfect (remote past)
परोक्षभूतकालः
A remote past action, not witnessed by the speaker. Very common in narratives and epics.
।
There was Rāma (long ago).
पठ्: पपाठ
लुट्
IntermediatePeriphrastic future
अनद्यतनभविष्यत्कालः
A definite future action beyond today.
।
Tomorrow he will read.
पठ्: पठिता
लुङ्
AdvancedAorist
सामान्यभूतकालः
General past, including something done earlier today. It is formed in several different ways depending on the root.
।
He became.
पठ्: अपाठीत्
आशीर्लिङ्
AdvancedBenedictive
आशीरर्थः
Blessings and wishes: may you prosper.
।
May you be victorious.
पठ्: पठ्यात्
लृङ्
AdvancedConditional
क्रियातिपत्तिः
Hypothetical: "if this had happened, that would have happened", an action that did not come about.
, ।
If there had been good rain, there would have been plenty of food.
पठ्: अपठिष्यत्
Compare the lakāras
One root, one person and number, every lakāra.
Who: he / she / it
| Lakāra | Form | Meaning | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| लट्Present | he is | Verified | |
| लृट्Simple future | he will be | Verified | |
| लङ्Imperfect past | he be (past) | Verified | |
| लोट्Imperative | also: भवतात् | let he be | Verified |
| विधिलिङ्Optative | he should be | Verified | |
| लिट्Perfect (remote past) | he be (past) | Verified | |
| लुट्Periphrastic future | he will be | Verified | |
| लुङ्Aorist | he be (past) | Verified | |
| आशीर्लिङ्Benedictive | may he be | Verified | |
| लृङ्Conditional | he would have be | Verified |
लेट् · Vedic Sanskrit (advanced)
Needs reviewThe लेट् lakāra (the Vedic subjunctive) occurs only in the Veda, never in Classical Sanskrit, so it is kept apart from the regular lessons. Forms traditionally cited by grammarians, such as भवाति and पताति, are examples.
Vedic module content will enter graded practice only after a scholar’s review.