MacDonnell II - Wilbourhall.org

192-193] ORDER OF WORDS^287192. There is neither an iiulelinite nor a definite articlein the Vedic language. Their moaning is inherent in thesubstantive much as personal pronouns are in forms ofthe definite verb. Whether the one or the other is meantis made sufficiently clear by the context e.; g. agnim ilepurohitam I praise Agni the domestic priest (i. 1^); agnimmanye pitaram Agni I deem a father (x. 7'').In B. theanaphoric use of ta is sometimes very nearly equivalent tothe definite article (cp. 195 B 3^ p. 294).Number.193. 1.Singular words with a plural or a collective senseare always treated strictly as singulars, being never construedwith a plural form of the verb (cp. 194).2. The dual number is in regular use and, generallyof thespeaking, in strict application. But in certain partsRV. the plural is often used instead of the dual of naturalpairs ;sometimes also otlierwise ;e. g. sam anjantu visvedevah., sam apo hrdayani nau let all the gods, let the watersunite the hearts of us two (x. SS"*').a. A m. or f. du. is sometimes used to express a male andfemale of the same class ; e. g. pitara = father and mother ;matara = mother and father. This type of the dual has itswidest application in naming pairs of deities by means ofone of them and is equivalent to dual compounds containingboth names ; e.g. dyava heaven and earth (= dyava-prthivi) ;usasa Datvn and Night {= usasa-nakta) ;mitra 3Iitra andVaruna {= mitra- varuna). Sometimes the other memberof the pair is added in the N. sing. ;e. g. mitra tana narathya varuno yds ea sukratuli Mitra [and Varuna) andthe very wise Varuna, like two constant charioteers (viii. 25^).3. a. The plural is sometimes used (analogously to thedual) so as to include the other two of a group of three ;e. g. dyavah the (three) heavens — heaven, air, and earth ;