What is Karak?
Karak is the relationship between a noun or pronoun and the verb of a sentence. Bibhakti is the case marker attached to a word (shunno, ke, re, e, y, te, r, er and so on) that shows this relationship. The most reliable way to identify a karak is to ask the verb a question.
The Six Karak
Bengali grammar recognises six karak.
1. Kartri karak (nominative). Ask: who does it? Example: Shishu kande (the child cries). When the doer is not directly expressed, the ending "e" is used, as in Baghe goru khay (the tiger eats the cow). This is called the unexpressed agent (onukto karta).
2. Karma karak (objective). Ask: what or whom? Example: Ami bhat khai (I eat rice). In a sentence with two objects, the animate one is the indirect object (gouno karma) and the inanimate one is the direct object (mukkho karma). Example: the teacher gave the student a book. The student is the indirect object and the book is the direct object.
3. Karan karak (instrumental). Ask: with what or by what? Example: Kolom diye likhi (I write with a pen).
4. Sampradan karak (dative). Ask: to whom, given up permanently? Example: Goribke bostro dan koro (donate clothes to the poor). The key condition is that ownership is given up. If ownership is not given up, the word is just an object, for example when giving clothes to a washerman to be returned.
5. Apadan karak (ablative). Ask: from where or from what? Example: Gach theke fol pore (fruit falls from the tree). The cause of fear, hatred or abstaining is usually apadan.
6. Adhikaran karak (locative). Ask: where or when? It has three kinds: place (ghore achi, I am at home), time (bhore pakhi dake, birds call at dawn) and situation (surjo uthle ondhokar kate, darkness lifts when the sun rises).
Sombondho Pad Is Not a Karak
A word with the possessive marker r or er is a sombondho pad (possessive), not a karak, because it has no direct relation with the verb. In "Sita Ramer stri", the word Ramer is a possessive.
Order of Bibhakti
First is kartri, second karma, third karan, fourth sampradan, fifth apadan, sixth sombondho and seventh adhikaran.
Shortcut
Ask the verb: who is kartri, what or whom is karma, with what is karan, for whom as a gift is sampradan, from where is apadan, and where or when is adhikaran.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Identify the karak of 'nodite' in 'Chheleti nodite shanter katche' (the boy swims in the river).
Solution: Ask where he swims. The answer is in the river, so it is adhikaran (locative) of place with the ending te.
Example 2: Identify the karak of 'baagh theke' in 'Ami bagh theke bhoy pai' (I fear the tiger).
Solution: The tiger is the cause of fear, so it is apadan (ablative), marked by theke.
Example 3: Is 'chheleke' in 'Baba chheleke taka dilen' (father gave the son money for expenses) sampradan?
Solution: No. There is no permanent giving up of ownership as a gift, so it is an indirect object (gouno karma).
Quick Check
Question 1: How many karak are there in Bengali?
Answer: Six: kartri, karma, karan, sampradan, apadan and adhikaran.
Question 2: Is possessive (sombondho) a karak?
Answer: No, it is a pad with no direct relation to the verb.
Question 3: What is the key condition for sampradan?
Answer: The giver gives up ownership, as in charity.
Question 4: Which karak is used for the cause of fear?
Answer: Apadan.