352. III. Imperative expressive of possibility and doubt.

III. The imperative is a kind of potential mood, expressive of possibility and doubt (cp. 344). It is especially used in interrogations.

Examples are frequent of the 1st and 3d person. — Panc. I, 225 it says, a serpent even a not-poisonous one, is to be dreaded viṣaṃ bhavatu mā bhūyāt phaṭāṭopo bhayaṃkaraḥ (it may have poison or not, the swelling of a serpent’s crest is dreadful), Mhbh. 1, 37, 8 api mantrayamāṇā hi hetuṃ paśyāma mocane (perhaps by deliberation we may find some means for rescue), Mâlav. IV, p. 117 āḥ / kathaṃ nu khalv asmāt saṃkaṭān mocyāvahai (how may we be rescued from this danger?), Utt. I, p. 21 pratyetu kastaddhuvi (who on earth will believe it?), Vikram. V, p. 184 bho rājan kiṃ te bhūyaḥ priyaṃ karotu pākaśāsanaḥ (say, king, what may Indra moreover do for you?), Hit. 118 katham ayaṃ ślāghyatāṃ mahāsattvaḥ (how may this great-hearted man be praised [as he deserves] ?).

352. III. 可能性や疑惑を表すIpv.

3. Ipv.は一種の可能法であり、可能性や疑惑を表す（344）。特に疑問文で用いられる。

用例は1st.と3rd.が頻繁である：
Panc. I, 225 it says, a serpent even a not-poisonous one, is to be dreaded viṣaṃ bhavatu mā bhūyāt phaṭāṭopo bhayaṃkaraḥ (it may have poison or not, the swelling of a serpent’s crest is dreadful)
Mhbh. 1, 37, 8 api mantrayamāṇā hi hetuṃ paśyāma mocane (perhaps by deliberation we may find some means for rescue)
Mâlav. IV, p. 117 āḥ / kathaṃ nu khalv asmāt saṃkaṭān mocyāvahai (how may we be rescued from this danger?)
Utt. I, p. 21 pratyetu kastaddhuvi (who on earth will believe it?)
Vikram. V, p. 184 bho rājan kiṃ te bhūyaḥ priyaṃ karotu pākaśāsanaḥ (say, king, what may Indra moreover do for you?)
Hit. 118 katham ayaṃ ślāghyatāṃ mahāsattvaḥ (how may this great-hearted man be praised [as he deserves] ?)