The eleventh chapter of NCERT Class 10 Sanskrit Vyakaranavithi, titled “Vachya Parivartan (वाच्य परिवर्तन)”, introduces students to one of the most essential grammatical topics — voice change in Sanskrit. It explains how the focus of a sentence changes when the action is viewed from different perspectives — whether the subject is doing the action, receiving it, or the action itself is highlighted. The chapter includes simple explanations, examples, and exercises that help students grasp the use of kartari, karmani, and bhav-vachya forms effectively.
I wanted to write about this topic because many students find the concept of vachya parivartan confusing at first, but once understood, it opens up a deeper appreciation of Sanskrit grammar. This topic is very similar to the concept of active and passive voice in English but goes beyond it by including the third form—bhav-vachya. Understanding how to convert sentences from one vachya to another not only improves grammatical skills but also strengthens comprehension while reading classical Sanskrit texts. Moreover, this chapter helps students write grammatically correct sentences in exams, especially in translation and transformation exercises.
About NCERT Class 10 Sanskrit Vyakaranavithi Chapter 11
This chapter is part of the NCERT Vyakaranavithi series, which aims to make Sanskrit grammar easy and practical. Chapter 11, Vachya Parivartan, deals with how verbs and subjects relate in different contexts. Just as in English we have “Rama eats an apple” (active) and “An apple is eaten by Rama” (passive), Sanskrit too expresses this relationship through three vachyas — Kartari (active), Karmani (passive), and Bhava (impersonal or reflexive).
What is Vachya in Sanskrit Grammar?
In simple words, Vachya (वाच्य) means the voice of a verb — the way the action is expressed in relation to the doer (subject) and the object. Depending on what we want to emphasise in a sentence — the doer, the receiver, or the action — the vachya changes.
The Three Types of Vachya
| Type of Vachya | Meaning | Example | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kartari Vachya (कर्ता वाच्य) | The subject (doer) performs the action | रामः फलम् खादति | Rama eats the fruit |
| Karmani Vachya (कर्मणि वाच्य) | The object receives the action | फलं रामेण खाद्यते | The fruit is eaten by Rama |
| Bhava Vachya (भाव वाच्य) | The action is emphasised, the doer is not mentioned | फलं खाद्यते | The fruit is eaten (action is happening) |
Each vachya changes the verb form slightly, which helps indicate the focus of the sentence.
NCERT Class 10 Sanskrit Chapter 11 PDF Download
You can download the NCERT Class 10 Sanskrit Vyakaranavithi Chapter 11 – Vachya Parivartan PDF from here.
