deriv LSK ETT STT aSTA ALPH OLDHOMEPAGE NEWHOMEPAGE

/madhyama / मध्यम

A noun is second person when its referent includes the listener but not the speaker.

The nouns formed by joining /asmad- plus some /sup ending are always second person. Such as /yuSmad- + /su → **tvam त्वम्

samyak tvam pRcchasi सम्यक्त्वं पृच्छसि "properly thou askest"

or /yuSmad- + /bhis → **yuSmAbhis युष्माभिस्

kartavyaM yuSmAbhiH कर्तव्यं युष्माभिः "y'all must do it"

Even though /pANini does not bother to say so, all other nouns are second person when their meaning includes the listener but not the speaker. So when you talk to a monkey you may say —

ramadhve kapayaH रमध्वे कपयः "y'all monkeys (sure know how to) have fun"

Here the verb took the second person ending /dhvam because the listener is included among the **kapayas कपयस्. There is no need to say ramadhve yUyaG kapayaH रमध्वे यूयं कपयः, with **yUyam यूयम् (that is grammatical too, but not elegant).

Exception: if the listener is talked about with a respectful title (in the line of "your honor", "your holiness", "the minister"), then what includes the listener but not the speaker is third person

zanair zanair Arohatu devaH शनैर्शनैरारोहतु देवः "Your Majesty should ascend very gently"

See yuSmadyupap....