upasargaH 1 Sickness, disease, change occasioned by a disease; also a disease superinduced on another; kzIRaM hanyuScopasargAH praBUtAH Suśr. 2 Misfortune, trouble, calamity, injury, harm; praSamitASezopasargAH prajAH Ratn. 1. 10 ; sopasargaM vo nakzatraM M. 4. 3 Portent, natural phenomenon foreboding evil. 4 An eclipse. 5 An indication or symptom of death. 6 Addition. 7 Possession by an evil spirit. 8 A preposition ( pb ) prefixed to roots; nipAtAScAdayo jYeyAH prAdayastUpasargakAH . dyotakatvAt kriyAyoge lokAdavagatA ime .. Upasargas are 20 in number: — pra, parA, apa, sam , anu, ava, nis or nir, dus or dur, vi, A (N), ni, aDi, api, ati, su, ut, aBi , prati, pari, upa ; or 22 if nis-nir and dus-dur be taken as separate words. There are two theories as to the character of these prepositions. According to one theory roots have various meanings in themselves ( anekArTA hi DAtavaH ); when prepositions are prefixed to them they simply bring to light those meanings already existent but hidden in them, but they do not express them, being meaningless themselves; cf. Śi. 10. 15 : — saMtameva ciramaprakftatvAdaprakASitamadidyutadaMge . viBramaM maDumadaH pramadAnAM DAtulInamupasarga ivArTam .. . According to the other theory prepositions express their own independent meanings; they modify, intensify, and sometimes entirely alter, the senses of roots; cf. Sk. : - upasargeRa DAtvarTo balAdanyatra nIyate . prahArAhArasaMhAravihAraparihAravat .. cf. also DAtvarTaM bADate kaScitkaScittamanuvartate . tameva viSinazwyanya upasargagatistriDA .. (The latter theory appears to be more correct. For a fuller exposition see Nirukta).