Consonant stems  ·  possessive -vant / -mant suffix

bhagavant

Stems in -vant and -mant — possessive adjectives: bhagavant "blessed" (from bhaga "fortune"), dhīmant "wise", balavant "strong". Decline like -at participles except nom. sg.


bhagavant Masculine · "blessed, the Lord"
SingularDualPlural
Nom.
bhagavān
bhagavantau
bhagavantaḥ
Acc.
bhagavantam
bhagavantau
bhagavataḥ
Ins.
bhagavatā
bhagavadbhyām
bhagavadbhiḥ
Dat.
bhagavate
bhagavadbhyām
bhagavadbhyaḥ
Abl.
bhagavataḥ
bhagavadbhyām
bhagavadbhyaḥ
Gen.
bhagavataḥ
bhagavatoḥ
bhagavatām
Loc.
bhagavati
bhagavatoḥ
bhagavatsu
Voc.
bhagavan
bhagavantau
bhagavantaḥ

Key difference from -at participles. Nom. sg. bhagavān has long ā (not short as in bhavan). Everything else is identical. Fem.: bhagavatī (nadī-class). Neuter nom. sg.: bhagavat.

How to remember

  1. iNom. sg. = -vān / -mān with long ā. This is the ONE cell that differs from -at participles (bhavan has short a).
  2. iiEverything else = same as bhavant. Same strong/weak alternation, same t → d before -bh-.
  3. iiiVoc. sg. bhagavan! (short a). This is the form Arjuna uses in the Gītā to address Kṛṣṇa.

Exercise — bhagavant

Fill in all 24 forms.

bhagavant Masculine · "blessed, the Lord"
SingularDualPlural
Nom.
Acc.
Ins.
Dat.
Abl.
Gen.
Loc.
Voc.
0 / 24 correct
Whitney §452–454 · MacDonell §81
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