Description:

The modifier 'upána' as a modifier of time is generally used with verbs and means that the action of its reference happens before the time of its object, which can be an event as a nominative noun phrase, or a dependent clause.

Upána can directly take a dependent clause without requiring 'si'. It is often used to introduce sentence-level context-establishing clauses, and as such blurs the line between a modifier and a conjunction sometimes.

Dependendent clauses introduced with upána obey the general rule that the verb much go last in a dependent clause, but the rule is relaxed if the dependent clause is last in the setence, or if there is no main clause.

Upána is also a modifier of space meaning 'ahead' - its reference is ahead of some object, which can be assumed, or can be explicit, in which case the object of upána is the point of reference.

Similarly, it can be used as a modifier of sequence meaning 'next'.

In addition, upána is used to form perphrasitic benefactive constructions, also mainly as a verb modifier, where the action of the verb is for the benefit of the object of upána, which is a noun phrase in the nomiative case.