{{about|a term in Sanskrit grammar|the concept in Yoga|Upasarga (yoga)}}
'''Upasarga''' is a term used in Sanskrit grammar for a special class of twenty prepositional particles prefixed to verbs or to action nouns.<ref>Monier-Williams, p.210</ref> In Vedic, these prepositions are separable from verbs; in classical Sanskrit the prefixing is obligatory.
The twenty prefixes (in Indic alphabetical order) are recognized in {{IAST|Pāṇini}}'s {{IAST|Aṣṭādhyāyī}} at 1.4.58-59,<ref>Katre, p.91</ref> and are enumerated in the {{IAST|gaṇapāṭha}} (#154):<ref>Katre, p.1301</ref>
# ''ati''- "beyond" # ''adhi''- "over" # ''apa''- "away" # ''api''- "proximate" # ''abhi''- "to, towards" # ''anu''- "after" # ''ava''- "off, down" # ''āṅ''- "near" # ''ut''-/''ud''- "up(wards)" # ''upa''- "towards, near" # ''dus''-/''dur''- "bad, difficult, hard" # ''ni''- "down" # ''nis''-/''nir''- "away" # ''parā''- "away" # ''pari''- "round, around" # ''pra''- "forth" # ''prati''- "against" # ''vi''- "apart, asunder" # ''sam''-/''saṃ''- "with" # ''su''- "good, excellent"
By the usual rules of euphonic combination the two prepositions ending in visarga, ''{{IAST|niḥ}}'' and ''{{IAST|duḥ}}'', have the alternative forms ''nis''-/''nir''- and ''dus''-/''dur''- respectively. The {{IAST|gaṇapāṭha}} listing has these variants, not the forms in pausa, and thus has twenty-two items in all.
A versified form of this list may be found in modern primers or textbooks: {{Quotation| {{IAST|praparāpasamanvavanirdurabhivyadhisūdatinipratiparyapayaḥ}}<br> {{IAST|upa āṅiti viṃśatireṣa sakhe upasargavidhiḥ kathitaḥ kavinā}} {{IAST|pra_parā_apa_sam_anu_ava_nir_dur_abhi_vi_adhi_su_ud_ati_ni_prati_pari_apayaḥ(api)}}<br> {{IAST|upaḥ āṅ iti viṃśatiḥ eṣa sakhe upasarga_vidhiḥ kathitaḥ kavinā}} }}
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== * Monier-Williams, M., ''A Sanskrit English Dictionary'', (reprint) New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass 2005 {{ISBN|81-208-3105-5}} * Katre, Sumitra M., ''{{IAST|Aṣṭādhyāyī}} of Pānini'', New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass 1989
==External links== *{{wti|उपसर्ग}}
Category:Vyakarana Category:Prefixes