Kāraka (h): The Genitive (sixth) Case

The Genitive is not a Kāraka, it generally expresses the relation of a noun to another. Pāṇini introduces it with the rule ṣaṣṭhī śeṣe (2/3/50).When the mere relationship is intended to be expressed; the sixth case should be employed.

Whereas Bhartṛhari considers Śeṣaṣaṣṭhī as a Kāraka. He says:—

sambandhaḥ kārakebhyo'nyaḥ kriyākārakapūrvakaḥ |
śrutāyāmaśrutāyāṃ vā kriyāyāṃ so'bhidhīyate ||2 1

Taking into consideration of the word kriyākārakapūrvakaḥ, Śeṣa is regarded as Kāraka.

When think about the Ṣaṣṭhīvibhakti in Vāsudevavijaya, the author has not given any example for the rule ṣaṣṭhī śeṣe |(2/3/50).

Then the rule ṣaṣṭhī hetuprayoge (2/3/26) is illustrated in the verse,

dviṣat samāpanīyānāṃ dhāmnāmādhāramacyutam |
hetoḥ krīḍāpariśrānteḥ śayanaṃ taṃ sakhābravīt || (Vāsudevavijaya 6.14)

The rule means that, after a noun employing the cause of action, when the word hetu is used along with such word, the sixth case should be employed. Here the example krīḍāpariśrānteḥ hetoḥ śayanaṃ taṃ, the word hetu is used and the cause for the action (lying) is krīḍāpariśrāntiḥ (effort for playing). Thus there employed the sixth case as per the above stated rule i.e. krīḍāpariśrānteḥ.

Another verse in Vāsudevavijaya, holds the examples for the rule ṣaṣṭhyatasarthapratyayena (2/3/30).

The verse runs as follows:—

yāvajjīvaṃ yatiṣye vaḥ priyārthamitiśauriṇā |
utthitaṃ vadatā tasya puraḥ prāsthayi sīriṇā || (Vāsudevavijaya 6.22)

Here, the example for the above stated rule is tasya puraḥ; the meaning of the rule is that when the words ending with affixes having the sense of atasuc then the sixth case affix is used. The word puraḥ is ended with an affix asi and in connection with this word, the tacchabda have employed the sixth case i.e. tasya |

The rule dūrāntikārthaiḥ ṣaṣṭhyanyatarasyām implies that when in conjunction with words having the sense of dūra (distance) and antika (near), the fifth and sixth cases are employed. Vāsudeva gives an illustration for the employment of sixth case as per this rule, which is included in the verse,

abhyarṇaṃ tasya vartiṣṇudeśasya dhvāntasannibhaḥ | sāhāyyarasikānekadhṛṣṭacakrīvadāvṛtaḥ || (Vāsudevavijaya 6.26)

The example isdeśasya abhyarṇaṃand the word abhyarṇaṃ has the sense of nearness and thus the word deśa which is associated with this is used the sixth case affix as per the rule.

Likewise, Vāsudeva illustrates all the rules of the sixth case. For brevity, he gave instances for more than one rule in a single verse.

The following verse holds together the examples for two rules regarding the sixth case.

cāturāśramyadharmajñā ye prātipathikā dvijāḥ |
yeṣāṃ rujanti no rogāste'nāthantāsya śarmmaṇaḥ ||

In this verse, two rules are illustrated, they are rujārthānāṃ bhāvavacanānāmajvareḥ (2/3/54) and āśiṣi nāthaḥ (2/3/55). The first rule have the example as yeṣāṃ rujanti rogāḥ. The Object of the verbs having the sense of ruj to afflict with the exception of the causative verb jvara to be feverish, takes the sixth case affix. Here the rule takes place when the verb expresses a condition i.e., the Agent is an abstract noun. In this example, the root ruj, is present and hence the Object of the verb i.e the Yacchabda (yeṣāṃ) used in the sixth case.

Simultaneously, the rule āśiṣi nāthaḥ is exemplified as śarmmaṇaḥ nāthanta. Here, the verb nātha means to bless and the Object of this verb i.e. śarman is used in the sixth case.

More details and examples of the sixth case are given in the appendix for more convenient access. As per the Paninian system, these rules are presented as a way to obtain the negation of the compounds in the Genitive case. Vāsudeva has not violated this view.