कथम् n. ind. (
fr. 2.क), how? in what manner? whence? (
e.g. कथम् एतत्, how is that?
कथम् इदानीम्, how now? what is now to be done?
कथम् मारा-त्मके त्वयि विश्वासः, how can there be reliance on thee of murderous mind?
कथम् उत्सृज्य त्वां गच्छेयम्, how can I go away deserting you?
कथम् बुद्ध्वा भविष्यति सा, how will she be when she awakes?
कथम् मृत्युः प्रभवति वेदविदाम्, whence is it that death has power over those that know the
वेद?
कथम् अवगम्यते, whence is it inferred?);
कथम् sometimes merely introduces an interrogation (
e.g. कथम् आत्मानं निवेदयामि कथं वा-त्मा-पहारं करोमि, shall I declare myself or shall I withdraw?) is often found in connection with the particles
इव,
नाम,
नु,
स्विद्, which appear to generalize the interrogation (how possibly? how indeed? &c.)
नु with it is sometimes =
किमु, or
कुतस् (
e.g. कथं नु, how much more!
न कथं नु, how much less!)
कथम् is often connected, like
किम्, with the particles
चन,
चिद्, and
अपि, which give an indefinite sense to the interrogative (
e.g. कथं चन, in any way, some how; scarcely, with difficulty;
न कथं चन, in no way at all;
कथंचित्, some how or other, by some means or other, in any way, with some difficulty, scarcely, in a moderate degree, a little;
न कथंचित्, not at all, in no way whatever;
न कथंचिद् न, in no way not
i.e. most decidedly;
यथा कथंचित्, in any way whatsoever;
कथंचिद् यदि जीवति, it is with difficulty that he lives;
कथम् अपि, some how or other, with some difficulty, scarcely a little;
कथम् अपि न, by no means, not at all),
[RV. &c.] कथम् according to lexicographers is a particle implying amazement
surprise
pleasure
abuse.