Irregular Passive Bases

Irregular Passive Bases

√jan	to produce	ya	janya > jāya	jāyati	is born
√kar	to do	iya	kariya > kayira	kayirati	is done
√dis	to see	iya	disiya > dassiya	sandassiyamāna	being seen together

Roots ending in -ā change to -ī

Kacc 502, 493. yamhi dā dhā mā ṭhā hā pā maha-math’ādīnam’ī.

√dā	to give	(ī)ya	dīya	dīyati	is given
√dhā	to hold	(ī)ya	dhīya	dhīyati21	is held
√pā	to drink	(ī)ya	pīya	pīyati	is drunk

Commentary example

In roots ending in a short vowel, that vowel gets lengthened

√ci	to gather	(ī)ya	cīya	cīyati	is collected
√ji	to conquer	(ī)ya	jīya	jīyati	is defeated
√lu	to reap	(i)ya	lūya	lūyati	is reaped
√su	to hear	(i)ya	sūya	sūyati	is heard

Group 2 rudhādigaṇa roots sometimes keep their conjugational sign ṃa

√chid + ṃa	to cut	īya	chindīya	chindīyati22	is cut
√muc + ṃa	to free	īya	muñcīya	muñcīyati*	is freed
√rudh + ṃa	to obstruct	īya	rundhīya	rundhīyati*	is obstructed
√yuj + ṃa	to yoke	iya	yuñjiya	samanuyuñjiyati*	being cross-questioned

These bases (marked with *) mostly exist in participle forms.

Some passive verbs have two forms

√hā	to decrease	īya	hīya	hīyati	is decreased
√hā	to decrease	īya	hiyya	hiyyati*	is decreased
√mar	to die	īya	mīya	mīyati	is killed, dies
√mar	to die	īya	miyya	miyyati	is killed, dies
√nī	to lead	ya	nīya	nīyati	is lead
√nī	to lead	ya	niyya	niyyati	is lead
√su	to hear	ya	sūya	sūyati	is heard
√su	to hear	ya	suyya	suyyati	is heard

And an irregular form

√yaj	to sacrifice	ya	ijja	ijjati23	is sacrificed

Not a textual example

Some roots with va- change to vu- or u-

Kacc 487, 478. vaca vasa vah’ādīnam’ukāro vassa ye.

√vac	to speak	ya	vucca	vuccati	is said
√vac	to speak	ya	ucca	uccati	is said
√vah	to carry	ya	vuyha	vuyhati	is carried
√var	to cover	īya	vurīya > purīya	avāpurīyati	is opened
√vas	to live	ya	vussa	vussati	is lived

va > vu

While on the topic, va > vu is a very common phonetic change in Pāli, especially in past participles.

√vac	to speak	pp	vutta	said, spoken
√vaddh	to increase	f	vuddhi	growth, increase
√vaḍḍh	to increase	adj	vuḍḍha	old, senior
√vap	to sow	pp	pavutta	cast off
√var	to cover	pp	saṃvuta	covered, restrained
√var	to cover	nt	pāvuraṇaṃ	blanket
√vas	to live	pp	vuṭṭha	lived
√vas	to live	pp	vippavuttha	gone abroad
√vas	to live	pp	vusita	lived, completed
√vass	to rain	pp	vuṭṭha	rained
√vass	to rain	f	vuṭṭhi	rain
√vatt	to proceed	f	vutti	way of life
√vatt	to proceed	m	vuttika	livelihood
√phar	to pervade	pp	phuṭa	pervaded
√bhar	to support	adj	pabhuti	beginning with