There is a group of twenty two particles in Sanskrit called प्रादि गण (prādi gana). It is called so as the first member of the group is प्र (pra).
When a particle in the प्रादि गण is used along with a धातु, it is called उपसर्ग (Upasarga).
They are alternatively also known as preverb, preposition, verb prefix.

An उपसर्ग may change the meaning, may not change the meaning, or may enhance the meaning of a धातु to which it is added.

In this article, we will look at some interesting examples of how an उपसर्ग (Upasarga) changes meaning of a धातु.


Let us start with धातु भू (1P) which means 'to be'. However, when an उपसर्ग (Upasarga) is added to it, its meaning changes as follows