Sanskrit Karak and Vibhakti: The Complete Relationship of Six Karakas
Without a solid grasp of how karak and vibhakti connect, neither shabd roop nor sentence-construction really makes sense — which is why REET treats this topic as the foundation of Sanskrit grammar. This page lays out all six karakas and their matching vibhaktis with clear examples.
- No direct 2024 PYQ on record — syllabus-based
- Class 6-8 level
- 9 min read
How karak-vibhakti is asked in REET
There is no REET 2024 question linked to this topic in RajStudy's database yet, so the question style suggested here is not based on any one specific past paper but directly on the official REET syllabus and standard Sanskrit grammar textbooks — it felt important to say that honestly. You're usually asked to identify the karak of an underlined word in a sentence, or to name the correct vibhakti for a given karak — for example, 'Which vibhakti goes with करण कारक?'. Finer points, such as why संबंध (possession, षष्ठी) is not treated as a karak at all, can also show up.
Karak versus vibhakti
The relationship between a verb and the noun or pronoun connected to it — who is doing what, for whom, by what means, and so on — is called 'karak'. The marker (suffix) added to the end of a word to express that relationship is called 'vibhakti'.
Sanskrit traditionally recognises six karakas — कर्ता (agent), कर्म (object), करण (instrument), संप्रदान (recipient), अपादान (source) and अधिकरण (location). संबंध (possession, marked by षष्ठी vibhakti) is technically not treated as a karak at all, because it connects to another noun rather than directly to the verb — even so, it's taught alongside the karakas as part of the vibhakti system.
The Six Karakas and Their Vibhaktis
| Karak | Vibhakti | Meaning/question | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| कर्ता | प्रथमा | The doer of the action — 'who?' | रामः पठति (Ram reads) |
| कर्म | द्वितीया | What the action's result falls on — 'to whom/what?' | रामः पुस्तकं पठति (Ram reads a book) |
| करण | तृतीया | The means by which the action happens — 'by what/whom?' | रामः लेखन्या लिखति (Ram writes with a pen) |
| संप्रदान | चतुर्थी | For whom the action happens, the recipient of giving — 'for whom?' | रामः दरिद्राय धनं ददाति (Ram gives money to the poor) |
| अपादान | पंचमी | The point of separation/distance — 'from where?' | वृक्षात् पत्रं पतति (a leaf falls from the tree) |
| अधिकरण | सप्तमी | The basis of the action — place or time — 'where/when?' | रामः गृहे वसति (Ram lives in the house) |
The six karakas map onto vibhaktis प्रथमा through सप्तमी, in order — the easiest memory device is simply asking the matching question ('who, to whom, by what...') for each word in a sentence.[Source 2]
Important exceptions — what is NOT a karak
- संबंध (षष्ठी vibhakti)
- This connects to another noun, not to the verb (as in 'रामस्य पुस्तकम्' = Ram's book), so it is technically not treated as a karak.
- संबोधन (a special use of प्रथमा)
- Used to call out to someone (as in 'हे राम!'), this too is not treated as an independent karak but as a special use of प्रथमा vibhakti.
Applying karak-vibhakti in sentence construction
The real value of karak-vibhakti shows up once every word in a full sentence is given the correct vibhakti for its karak. Take 'रामः वृक्षात् पात्रेण फलं मित्राय ददाति' — it packs four karakas into one sentence at once: कर्ता (रामः, प्रथमा), अपादान (वृक्षात्, पंचमी — meaning 'from the tree'), करण (पात्रेण, तृतीया — 'by means of a vessel') and संप्रदान (मित्राय, चतुर्थी — 'for a friend'), along with कर्म (फलं, द्वितीया). Practising sentences like this, with several karakas working together, is what actually builds a real understanding of karak-vibhakti.
A common source of confusion in REET is assuming that vibhakti choice comes from word-for-word matching against Hindi postpositions (का, को, से, में). The real rule is to identify the karak-meaning first (who, to whom, by what) and then choose the vibhakti accordingly — because Hindi's 'से', for instance, can correspond to either करण or अपादान depending on the sense, so understanding the meaning matters far more than matching words.
Karak and vibhakti form the connecting link between शब्द रूप and धातु रूप — until it's clear which vibhakti a given karak needs, it isn't possible to pick the right form out of a shabd roop table at all. That's why it makes the most sense to get this topic solid before, or at least alongside, every other grammar topic.
REET karak-vibhakti questions sometimes skip the plain definition entirely and instead give you a full sentence, asking you to identify the karak of an underlined word — these are considered relatively harder because they require understanding the whole sentence's meaning. So rather than only memorising the table, practising with several complete sentences covering different karakas is the most dependable preparation.
How to teach this to children
Activity
Write a simple Sanskrit sentence (something like 'रामः वृक्षात् फलं पात्रेण गृह्णाति') on the board and have children label the karak under every word — breaking the whole sentence into karakas this way makes the relationships visible.
Teaching aid
Put up a question-based chart of the six karakas ('Who? To whom? By what? For whom? From where? Where?') in the classroom, so children learn to connect each vibhakti to its question rather than its name alone.
Common misconception
Children frequently confuse करण and अपादान since both can use 'से' in Hindi — explaining 'by means of' (करण) versus 'separated from' (अपादान) with examples clears this up.
Assessment
Give five Hindi sentences and ask children to identify both the karak and vibhakti of the underlined word — an effective written assessment.
Trick to remember
Remember the six karakas in this order — कर्ता, कर्म, करण, संप्रदान, अपादान, अधिकरण — and pair each with its vibhakti number (प्रथमा, द्वितीया, तृतीया, चतुर्थी, पंचमी, सप्तमी); note that षष्ठी (the sixth vibhakti) doesn't appear in this sequence at all, because संबंध is not a karak.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which vibhakti (case) does the karan karak (instrumental case-role) take?
- Aतृतीया
- Bद्वितीया
- Cचतुर्थी
- Dपंचमी
Explanation
करण karak represents 'the means by which an action is carried out' and takes तृतीया vibhakti — as in 'लेखन्या लिखति'.
Question 2
In the sentence 'वृक्षात् पत्रं पतति', 'वृक्षात्' is an example of which karak?
- Aअपादान
- Bकरण
- Cसंप्रदान
- Dअधिकरण
Explanation
'वृक्षात्' conveys separation (falling away from the tree), which makes it अपादान karak with पंचमी vibhakti.
Question 3
Which vibhakti (case) does the sampradan karak take?
- Aचतुर्थी
- Bतृतीया
- Cषष्ठी
- Dसप्तमी
Explanation
संप्रदान karak represents 'for whom the action happens' and takes चतुर्थी vibhakti — as in 'दरिद्राय धनं ददाति'.
Question 4
Which of the following is NOT a karak in Sanskrit?
- Aसंबंध
- Bकरण
- Cकर्म
- Dअधिकरण
Explanation
संबंध does not connect directly to the verb, so it is technically not treated as a karak, even though it does take षष्ठी vibhakti.
Question 5
In the sentence 'रामः गृहे वसति', 'गृहे' is an example of which karak?
- Aअधिकरण
- Bअपादान
- Cसंप्रदान
- Dकरण
Explanation
'गृहे' marks the location of the action, which makes it अधिकरण karak with सप्तमी vibhakti.
Question 6
Which vibhakti (case) does the karma karak (object case-role) take?
- Aद्वितीया
- Bप्रथमा
- Cतृतीया
- Dचतुर्थी
Explanation
कर्म karak represents 'what the action's result falls on' and takes द्वितीया vibhakti — as in 'पुस्तकं पठति'.
Question 7
Which question is used to identify the karta karak (subject case-role)?
- Aक्रिया कौन कर रहा है?
- Bकिसके लिए किया जा रहा है?
- Cकिससे किया जा रहा है?
- Dकहाँ किया जा रहा है?
Explanation
कर्ता karak is identified by asking 'who is performing the action?', and it takes प्रथमा vibhakti.
Question 8
What is the main difference between the karan and apadan karaks?
- Aकरण साधन बताता है, अपादान अलगाव/दूरी बताता है
- Bदोनों बिल्कुल एक जैसे हैं
- Cकरण केवल स्थान बताता है
- Dअपादान केवल समय बताता है
Explanation
करण expresses the means ('by what', तृतीया), while अपादान expresses separation or distance ('from where', पंचमी) — that's the key contrast between the two.
Question 9
What is the most useful classroom activity when teaching karak-vibhakti?
- Aपूरे वाक्य को कारकों में तोड़कर हर शब्द का कारक पहचनवाना
- Bकेवल विभक्ति के नाम रटवाना
- Cकारक-विभक्ति को छोड़ देना
- Dकेवल अंग्रेज़ी में समझाना
Explanation
Breaking a full sentence apart into its karakas and having children identify each word's karak builds practical understanding that lasts far longer than rote memorisation.
Question 10
Which vibhakti (case) does the adhikaran karak (locative case-role) take?
- Aसप्तमी
- Bषष्ठी
- Cपंचमी
- Dचतुर्थी
Explanation
अधिकरण karak represents the basis of the action (place/time) and takes सप्तमी vibhakti — as in 'गृहे वसति'.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many karakas are there in Sanskrit?+
Sanskrit has six karakas — कर्ता, कर्म, करण, संप्रदान, अपादान and अधिकरण. संबंध (possession) is technically not treated as a karak.
What is करण karak and which vibhakti does it take?+
The means by which an action is carried out is called करण karak, and it takes तृतीया vibhakti — for example, 'लेखन्या लिखति' ('writes with a pen').
Why is संबंध not considered a karak?+
संबंध doesn't connect directly to the verb — it expresses a relationship (typically possession) between two nouns, as in 'रामस्य पुस्तकम्', where 'राम' has no direct relationship with the verb at all.
How do I identify अपादान karak?+
Wherever a sentence conveys separation, distance or origin from something, that is अपादान karak, marked with पंचमी vibhakti — as in 'वृक्षात् पत्रं पतति' ('a leaf falls from the tree').
Do Hindi postpositions map directly onto Sanskrit vibhaktis?+
Not always. Hindi's 'से' can correspond to either करण (तृतीया) or अपादान (पंचमी), so choosing the right vibhakti requires understanding the sentence's actual sense — means versus separation — rather than matching the word alone.
How do I identify more than one karak in a single sentence?+
Break the sentence apart around the verb and ask a separate question of each noun (who, to whom, by what, for whom, from where, where) — whichever question fits best tells you that word's karak.
Does षष्ठी vibhakti really have no karak of its own?+
षष्ठी vibhakti expresses संबंध (relation), but because that relation connects two nouns rather than a noun to the verb directly, traditional grammar treats it as a vibhakti outside the karak system, not as a standalone karak.
What should I study after mastering karak-vibhakti?+
Once karak-vibhakti feels solid, go back over the शब्द रूप and धातु रूप tables with that knowledge fresh in mind, because that's when it becomes clear exactly which form applies where in a sentence, and why.
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Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked