CHAPTER VI.
NUMERALS.
475. The simple cardinal numerals for the first ten numbers (which are the foundation of the whole class), with their derivatives, the tens, and with some of the higher members of the decimal series, are as follows:
1
एक
éka
2
द्व
dvá
3
त्रि
trí
4
चतुर्
catúr
5
पञ्च
páñca
6
षष्
ṣáṣ
7
सप्त
saptá
8
अष्ट
aṣṭá
9
नव
náva
10
दश
dáśa
20
विंशति
viṅśatí
30
त्रिंशत्
triṅśát
40
चत्वारिंशत्
catvāriṅśát
50
पञ्चाशत्
pañcāśát
60
षष्टि
ṣaṣṭí
70
सप्तति
saptatí
80
अशीति
aśītí
90
नवति
navatí
100
शत
śatá
100
शत
śatá
1000
सहस्र
sahásra
10,000
अयुत
ayúta
100,000
लक्ष +++(/ नियुत)+++
lakṣá
1,000,000
प्रयुत
prayúta
10,000,000
कोटि
kóṭi
10⁸
अर्बुद
arbudá
10⁹
महार्बुद
mahārbuda
10¹⁰
खर्व
kharvá
10¹¹
निखर्व
nikharva
विश्वास-टिप्पनी
“एक-दश-शत-सहस्रायुत-लक्ष-प्रयुत-कोटयः क्रमशः ।
अर्बुदम् अब्जं खर्व-निखर्व-महापद्म-शङ्कवस् तस्मात् ॥
जलधिश् चान्त्यं मध्यं परार्धम् इति दशगुणोत्तराः संज्ञाः ।
संख्यायाः स्थानानां व्यवहारार्थे कृतास्तज्ज्ञैः ॥'
इति लीलावत्याम्।
‘एक-दश-शत-सहस्राण्य्-अयुतं लक्षं तथा प्रयुतम्।
कोट्य् अर्बुदं च पद्मं स्थानात् स्थानं दशगुणं स्यात्॥’
इत्यार्यभट्टः।
a. The accent saptá
and aṣṭá
is that belonging to these words in
all accentuated texts; according to the grammarians, they are sápta
and áṣṭa
in the later language. See below, 483.
b. The series of decimal numbers may be carried still further; but
there are great differences among the different authorities with regard
to their names; and there is more or less of discordance even from
ayúta
on.
c. Thus, in the TS. and MS. we find ayúta
, niyúta
, prayúta
,
árbuda
, nyàrbuda
, samudrá
, mádhya
, ánta
, parārdhá
; K.
reverses the order of niyúta
and prayúta
, and inserts badva
after
nyarbuda
(reading nyarbudha
): these are probably the oldest recorded
series.
d. In modern time, the only numbers in practical use above thousand
are lakṣa
(lac or lakh) and koṭi
(crore); and an Indian sum is
wont to be pointed thus: 123,45,67,890, to signify 123 crores, 45
lakhs, 67 thousand, eight hundred and ninety.
e. As to the alleged stem-forms pañcan
etc., see below, 484. As to
the form ṣakṣ
instead of ṣaṣ
, see above, 146b. The stem dva
appears in composition and derivation also as dvā
and dvi
; catúr
in composition is accented cátur
. The older form of aṣṭa
is aṣṭā
:
see below, 483. Forms in -śat
and -śati
for the tens are
occasionally interchanged: e. g. viṅśat
(MBh. R.), triṅśati
(AB.),
pañcāśati
(RT.).
f. The other numbers are expressed by the various composition and syntactical combination of those given above. Thus:
476. The odd numbers between the even tens are made by prefixing the (accented) unit to the ten to which its value is to be added: but with various irregularities. Thus:
a. eka
in 11 becomes ekā
, but is elsewhere unchanged;
b. dva
becomes everywhere dvā
; but in 42–72 and in 92 it is
interchangeable with dvi
, and in 82 dvi
alone is used;
c. for tri
is substituted its nom. pl. masc. tráyas
; but tri
itself is also allowed in 43–73 and in 93, and in 83 tri
alone
is used;
d. ṣaṣ
becomes ṣo
in 16, and makes the initial d
of daśa
lingual (199d); elsewhere its final undergoes the regular conversion
(226 b, 198 b) to ṭ
or ḍ
or ṇ
; and in 96 the n
of navati
is
assimilated to it (199c);
e. aṣṭa
becomes aṣṭā
(483) in 18–38, and has either form in the
succeeding combinations.
f. Thus:
11
ékādaśa
31
ékatriṅśat
61
ékaṣaṣṭi
81
ékāśīti
12
dvā́daśa
32
dvā́triṅśat
62
dvā́ṣaṣṭi
82
dvyàśīti
dvíṣaṣṭi
13
tráyodaśa
33
tráyastriṅśat
63
tráyaḥṣaṣṭi
83
tryàśīti
tríṣaṣṭi
14
cáturdaśa
34
cátustriṅśat
64
cátuḥṣaṣṭi
84
cáturaśīti
15
páñcadaśa
35
páñcatriṅśat
65
páñcaṣaṣṭi
85
páñcāśīti
16
ṣóḍaśa
36
ṣáṭtriṅśat
66
ṣáṭṣaṣṭi
86
ṣáḍaśīti
17
saptádaśa
37
saptátriṅśat
67
saptáṣaṣṭi
87
saptā́śīti
18
aṣṭā́daśa
38
aṣṭā́triṅśat
68
aṣṭáṣaṣṭi
88
aṣṭā́śīti
aṣṭā́ṣaṣṭi
19
návadaśa
39
návatriṅśat
69
návaṣaṣṭi
89
návāśīti
g. The numbers 21–29 are made like those for 31–39; the numbers 41–49, 51–59, 71–79, and 91–99 are made like those for 61–69.
h. The forms made with dvā
and trayas
are more usual than those
with dvi
and tri,
which are hardly to be quoted from the older
literature (V. and Br.). The forms made with aṣṭā
(instead of aṣṭa
)
are alone found in the older literature (483), and are usual in the
later.
477. The above are the normal expressions for the odd numbers. But equivalent substitutes for them are also variously made. Thus:
a. By use of the adjectives ūna
deficient and adhika
redundant,
in composition with lesser numbers which are to be subtracted or added,
and either independently qualifying or (more usually) in composition
with larger numbers which are to be increased or diminished by the
others: thus, tryūnaṣaṣṭiḥ
sixty deficient by three (i. e. 57);
aṣṭādhikanavatiḥ
ninety increased by eight (i. e. 98);
ekādhikaṁ śatam
a hundred increased by one (i. e. 101);
pañconaṁ śatam
100 less 5 (i. e. 95). For the nines, especially,
such substitutes as ekonaviṅśatiḥ
20 less 1, or 19, are not
uncommon; and later the eka
1 is left off, and ūnaviṅśati
etc.
have the same value.
b. A case-form of a smaller number, generally éka
one is connected
by ná
not with a larger number from which it is to be deducted:
thus, ékayā ná triṅśát
(śB. PB. KB.) not thirty by one (29);
dvābhyāṁ ná ’śītím
(śB.) not eighty by two (78);
pañcábhir ná catvā́ri śatā́ni
(śB.) not four hundred by five (395);
ékasmān ná pañcāśát
(in ordinal) 49 (TS.); ékasyāi
(abl. fem.:
307 h) ná pañcāśát
49 (TS.); most often, ékān
(i. e. ékāt
,
irregular abl. for ékasmāt
) ná viṅśatíḥ
19; ékān ná śatám
99.
This last form is admitted also in the later language; the others are
found in the Brāhmaṇas.
c. Instances of multiplication by a prefixed number are occasionally
met with: thus, triṣaptá
thrice seven; triṇavá
thrice nine;
tridaśá
thrice ten.
d. Of course, the numbers to be added together may be expressed by
independent words, with connecting and: thus, náva ca navatíś ca
, or
náva navatíś ca
ninety and nine; dvāú ca viṅśatíś ca
two and
twenty. But the connective is also (at least, in the older language)
not seldom omitted: thus, navatír náva
99; triṅśátaṁ trī́n
33;
aśītír aṣṭāú
88.
478. The same methods are also variously used for forming the odd numbers above 100. Thus:
a. The added number is prefixed to the other, and takes the accent: for
example, ékaśatam
101; aṣṭāśatam
108; triṅśácchatam
130;
aṣṭāviṅśatiśatam
128; cátuḥsahasram
(RV.: unless the accent is
wrong) 1004; aśītisahasram
1080.
b. Or, the number to be added is compounded with adhika
redundant,
and the compound is either made to qualify the other number or is
further compounded with it: thus, pañcādhikaṁ śatam
or
pañcādhikaśatam
105. Of course, ūna
deficient (as also other
words equivalent to ūna
or adhika
) may be used in the same way:
thus, pañconaṁ śatam
95, ṣaṣṭiḥ pañcavarjitā
55;
śatam abhyadhikaṁ ṣaṣṭitaḥ
160.
c. Syntactical combinations are made at convenience: for example,
dáśa śatáṁ ca
110; śatám ékaṁ ca
101.
479. Another usual method (beginning in the Brāhmaṇas) of forming the
odd numbers above 100 is to qualify the larger number by an adjective
derived from the smaller, and identical with the briefer ordinal (below,
487): thus, dvādaśáṁ śatám
, 112 (lit’ly a hundred of a 12-sort, or
characterised by 12); catuścatvāriṅśáṁ śatám
144;
ṣaṭṣaṣṭáṁ śatám
166.
480. To multiply one number by another, among the higher or the lower
denominations, the simplest and least ambiguous method is to make of the
multiplied number a dual or plural, qualified by the other as any
ordinary noun would be; and this method is a common one in all ages of
the language. For example: páñca pañcāśátas
five fifties (250);
náva navatáyas
nine nineties (810); aśītíbhis tisṛ́bhis
with
three eighties (240); páñca śatā́ni
five hundreds;
trī́ṇi sahásrāṇi
three thousands; ṣaṣṭíṁ sahásrāṇi
60,000;
daśa ca sahasrāṇy aṣṭāu ca śatāni
10,800: and, combined with
addition, trī́ṇi śatā́ni tráyastriṅśataṁ ca
333;
sahasre dve pañconaṁ śatam eva ca
2095.
a. In an exceptional case or two, the ordinal form appears to take the
place of the cardinal as multiplicand in a like combination: thus,
ṣaṭtriṅśā́ṅś ca catúraḥ
(RV.) 36x4 (lit. four of the thirty-six
kind); trī́ṅr ekādaśā́n
(RV.) or traya ekādaśāsaḥ
(śśS. viii. 21. 1)
11x3.
b. By a peculiar and wholly illogical construction, such a combination
as trīṇi ṣaṣṭiśatāni
, which ought to signify 480 (3x100+60), is
repeatedly used in the Brāhmaṇas to mean 360 (3x100+60); so also
dvé catustriṅśé śaté
234 (not 268); dvāṣaṣṭāni trīṇi śatāni
362; and other like cases. And even R. has trayaḥ śataśatārdhāḥ
350.
481. But the two factors, multiplier and multiplied, are also, and in
later usage more generally, combined into a compound (accented on the
final); and this is then treated as an adjective, qualifying the
numbered noun; or else its neuter or feminine (in ī
) singular is used
substantively: thus, daśaśatā́s
1000; ṣaṭśatāiḥ padātibhiḥ
(MBh.)
with 600 foot-soldiers; tráyastriṅśat triśatā́ḥ ṣaṭsahasrāḥ
(AV.)
6333; dviśatám
or dviśatī́
200; aṣṭādaśaśatī
1800.
a. In the usual absence of accentuation, there arises sometimes a
question as to how a compound number shall be understood: whether
aṣṭaśatam
, for example, is aṣṭáśatam
108 or aṣṭaśatám
800, and
the like.
482. Inflection. The inflection of the cardinal numerals is in many respects irregular. Gender is distinguished only by the first four.
a. Eka
one is declined after the manner of a pronominal adjective
(like sárva
, below, 524); its plural is used in the sense of some,
certain ones. Its dual does not occur.
b. Occasional forms of the ordinary declension are met with: thus,
éke
(loc. sing.), ékāt
(477 b).
c. In the late literature, eka
is used in the sense of a certain,
or even sometimes almost of a, as an indefinite article. Thus,
eko vyāghraḥ
(H.) a certain tiger; ekasmin dine
on a certain
day; haste daṇḍam ekam ādāya
(H.) taking a stick in his hand.
d. Dva
two is dual only, and is entirely regular: thus, N. A. V.
dvāú
(dvā́
, Veda) m., dvé
f. n.; I. D. Ab. dvā́bhyām
; G. L.
dváyos
.
e. Tri
three is in masc. and neut. nearly regular, like an ordinary
stem in i
; but the genitive is as if from trayá
(only in the later
language: the regular trīṇā́m
occurs once in RV.). For the feminine it
has the peculiar stem tisṛ́
, which is inflected in general like an
ṛ
-stem; but the nom. and accus. are alike, and show no strengthening
of the ṛ
; and the ṛ
is not prolonged in the gen. (excepting in the
Veda). Thus:
m.
n.
f.
N.
tráyas
trī́ṇi
tisrás
A.
trī́n
trī́ṇi
tisrás
I.
tribhís
tisṛ́bhis
D. Ab.
tribhyás
tisṛ́bhya
G.
trayāṇā́m
tisṛṇā́m
L.
triṣú
tisṛ́ṣu
f. The Veda has the abbreviated neut. nom. and accus. trī́
. The
accentuation tisṛbhís, tisṛbhyás, tisṛ́ṇām
, and tisṛṣú
is said to be
also allowed in the later language. The stem tisṛ
occurs in
composition in tisṛdhanvá
(B.) a bow with three arrows.
g. Catúr
four has catvā́r
(the more original form) in the strong
cases; in the fem. it substitutes the stem cátasṛ
, apparently akin
with tisṛ́
, and inflected like it (but with anomalous change of accent,
like that in the higher numbers: see below, 483). Thus:
m.
n.
f.
N.
catvā́ras
catvā́ri
cátasras
A.
catúras
catvā́ri
cátasras
I.
catúrbhis
catasṛ́bhis
D. Ab.
catúrbhyas
catasṛ́bhyas
G.
caturṇā́m
catasṛṇā́m
L.
catúrṣu
catasṛ́ṣu
.
h. The use of n
before ām
of the gen. masc. and neut. after a final
consonant of the stem is (as in ṣaṣ
: below, 483) a striking
irregularity. The more regular gen. fem. catasṝṇām
also sometimes
occurs. In the later language, the accentuation of the final syllable
instead of the penult is said to be allowed in inst., dat.-abl., and
loc.
483. The numbers from 5 to 19 have no distinction of gender, nor
any generic character. They are inflected, somewhat irregularly, as
plurals, save in the nom.-acc., where they have no proper plural form,
but show the bare stem instead. Of ṣáṣ
(as of catúr
), nām
is the
gen. ending, with mutual assimilation (198 b) of stem-final and initial
of the termination. Aṣṭá
(as accented in the older language) has an
alternative fuller form, aṣṭā́
, which is almost exclusively used in the
older literature (V. and B), both in inflection and in composition (but
some compounds with aṣṭa
are found as early as the AV.); its nom.-acc.
is aṣṭá
(usual later: found in RV. once, and in AV.), or aṣṭā́
(RV.),
or aṣṭāú
(most usual in RV.; also in AV., B., and later).
a. The accent is in many respects peculiar. In all the accented texts,
the stress of voice lies on the penult before the endings bhis, bhyas
,
and su
, from the stems in a
, whatever be the accent of the stem:
thus, pañcábhis
from páñca, navábhyas
from náva, daśásu
from
dáśa, navadaśábhis
from návadaśa, ekādaśábhyas
from
ékādaśa, dvādaśásu
from dvā́daśa
(according to the grammarians,
either the penult or the final is accented in these forms in the later
language). In the gen. pl., the accent is on the ending (as in that of
i-, u-
, and ṛ
-sterns): thus, pañcadaśānā́m, saptadaśānā́m
. The cases
of ṣaṣ
, and those made from the stem-form aṣṭā
, have the accent
throughout upon the ending.
b. Examples of the inflection of these words are as follows:
N.A.
páñca
ṣáṭ
aṣṭāú
aṣṭá
I.
pañcábhis
ṣaḍbhís
aṣṭābhís
aṣṭábhis
D. Ab.
pañcábhyas
ṣaḍbhyás
aṣṭābhyás
aṣṭábhyas
G.
pañcānā́m
ṣaṇṇā́m
aṣṭānā́m
L.
pañcásu
ṣaṭsú
aṣṭāsú
aṣṭásu.
c. Saptá
(in the later language sápta
, as áṣṭa
for aṣṭá
) and
náva
and dáśa
, with the compounds of dáśa
(11–19), are declined
like páñca
, and with the same shift of accent (or with alternative
shift to the endings, as pointed out above).
484. The Hindu grammarians give to the stems for 5 and 7–19 a final
n
: thus, pañcan, saptan, aṣṭan, navan, daśan
, and ekādaśan
etc.
This, however, has nothing to do with the demonstrably original final
nasal of 7, 9, and 10 (compare septem, novem, decem; seven, nine,
ten); it is only owing to the fact that, starting from such a
stem-form, their inflection is made to assume a more regular aspect, the
nom.-acc. having the form of a neut. sing. in an, and the instr.,
dat.-abl., and loc. that of a neut. or masc. pl. in an
: compare
nā́ma, nā́mabhis,
nā́mabhyas
, nā́masu
— the gen. alone being,
rather, like that of an a
-stem: compare daśānā́m
with índrāṇām
and
nā́mnām
or ātmánām
. No trace whatever of a final n
is found
anywhere in the language, in inflection or derivation or composition,
from any of these words (though śB. has twice daśaṁdaśín
, for the
usual daśadaśín
).
485. a. The tens, viṅśatí
and triṅśát
etc., with their compounds,
are declined regularly, as feminine stems of the same endings, and in
all numbers.
b. śatá
and sahásra
are declined regularly, as neuter (or, rarely,
in the later language, as masculine) stems of the same final, in all
numbers.
c. The like is true of the higher numbers — which have, indeed, no proper numeral character, but are ordinary nouns.
486. Construction. As regards their construction with the nouns enumerated by them —
a. The words for 1 to 19 are in the main used adjectively, agreeing in
case, and, if they distinguish gender, in gender also, with the nouns:
thus, daśábhir vīrāíḥ
with ten heroes; yé devā́ divy ékādaśa sthá
(AV.) what eleven gods of you are in heaven; pañcásu jáneṣu
among
the five tribes; catasṛbhir gīrbhíḥ
with four songs. Rarely occur
such combinations as dáśa kaláśānām
(RV.) ten pitchers, ṛtūnāṁ ṣaṭ
(R.) six seasons.
b. The numerals above 19 are construed usually as nouns, either
taking the numbered noun as a dependent genitive, or standing in the
singular in apposition with it: thus, śataṁ dāsīḥ
or śataṁ dāsīnām
a hundred slaves or a hundred of slaves; viṅśatyā́ háribhiḥ
with
twenty bays; ṣaṣṭyā́ṁ śarátṣu
in 60 autumns; śaténa pā́śāiḥ
with a
hundred fetters;
śatáṁ sahásram ayútaṁ nyàrbudaṁ jaghā́na śakró dásyūnām
(AV.) the
mighty [Indra] slew a hundred, a thousand, a myriad, a hundred
million, of demons. Occasionally they are put in the plural, as if used
more adjectively: thus, pañcāśadbhir bāṇāiḥ
with fifty arrows.
c. In the older language, the numerals for 5 and upward are sometimes
used in the nom.-acc. form (or as if indeclinably) with other cases
also: thus, páñca kṛṣṭíṣu
among the five races; saptá rṣīṇām
of
seven bards; sahásram ṛ́ṣibhiḥ
with a thousand bards;
śatám pūrbhíḥ
with a hundred strongholds. Sporadic instances of a
like kind are also met with later.
487. Ordinals. Of the classes of derivative words coming from the original or cardinal numerals, the ordinals are by far the most important; and the mode of their formation may best be explained here.
Some of the first ordinals are irregularly made: thus,
a. éka
1 forms no ordinal; instead is used prathamá
(i. e.
pratama
foremost); ādya
(from ādi
beginning) appears first in
the Sūtras, and ādima
much later;
b. from dvá
2, and trí
3, come dvitī́ya
and tṛtī́ya
(secondarily, through dvita
and abbreviated trita
);
c. catúr
4, ṣáṣ
6, and saptá
7, take the ending tha
:
thus, caturthá
, ṣaṣṭhá
, saptátha
; but for fourth are used also
turī́ya
and túrya
, and saptátha
belongs to the older language only;
pañcatha
, for fifth, is excessively rare;
d. the numerals for 5 and 7 usually, and for 8, 9, 10, add
ma
, forming pañcamá
, saptamá
, aṣṭamá
, navamá
, daśamá
;
e. for 11th to 19th, the forms are ekādaśá
, dvādaśá
, and so on
(the same with the cardinals, except change of accent); but ekādaśama
etc. occasionally occur also;
f. for the tens and intervening odd numbers from 20 onward, the
ordinal has a double form — one made by adding the full (superlative)
ending tamá
to the cardinal: thus, viṅśatitamá
, triṅśattamá
,
aśītitamá
, etc.; the other, shorter, in a
, with abbreviation of the
cardinal: thus, viṅśá
20th; triṅśá
30th; catvāriṅśá
40th;
pañcāśá
50th; ṣaṣṭá
60th; saptatá
70th; aśītá
80th;
navatá
90th; and so likewise ekaviṅśá
21st, catustriṅśá
34th; aṣṭācatvāriṅśá
48th; dvāpañcāśá
52d; ekaṣaṣṭá
61st;
and ekānnaviṅśá
and ūnaviṅśá
and ekonaviṅśá
19th; — and so on.
Of these two forms, the latter and briefer is by far the more common,
the other being not quotable from the Veda, and extremely rarely from
the Brāhmaṇas. From 50th on, the briefer form is allowed by the
grammarians only to the odd numbers, made up of tens and units; but it
is sometimes met with, even in the later language, from the simple ten.
g. Of the higher numbers, śatá
and sahásra
form śatatamá
and
sahasratamá
; but their compounds have also the simpler form: thus,
ekaśatá
or ekaśatatama
101st.
h. Of the ordinals, prathamá
(and ādya
), dvitī́ya
, tṛtī́ya
, and
turī́ya
(with túrya
) form their feminine in ā
; all the rest make it
in ī
.
488. The ordinals, as in other languages, have other than ordinal offices to fill; and in Sanskrit especially they are general adjectives to the cardinals, with a considerable variety of meanings, as fractionals, as signifying composed of so many parts or so-many-fold, or containing so many, or (as was seen above, 479) having so many added.
a. In a fractional sense, the grammarians direct that their accent be
shifted to the first syllable: thus, dvítīya
half; tṛ́tīya
third
part; cáturtha
quarter; and so on. But in accented texts only
tṛ́tīya
third, and cáturtha
(śB.) and túrīya
quarter, are found
so treated; for half occurs only ardhá
; and caturthá
(MS. etc.),
pañcamá
, and so on, are accented as in their ordinal use.
489. There are other numeral derivatives: thus —
a. multiplicative adverbs, as dvís
twice, trís
thrice, catús
four times;
b. adverbs with the suffixes dhā
(1104) and śas
(1106): for
example, ekadhā́
in one way, śatadhā́
in a hundred ways;
ekaśas
one by one, śataśás by hundreds;
c. collectives, as dvítaya
or dvayá
a pair, dáśjataya
or
daśát
a decade;
d. adjectives like dvika
composed of two, pañcaka
consisting of
five or fives;
and so on; but their treatment belongs rather to the dictionary, or to the chapter on derivation.