बहुषु बहुवचनम्

Operational rule vidhi

For referring to many, the बहुवचन forms are used.

Word by word (padaccheda)

Right context बहुषु saptamī · bahuvacanaSubstitute / term prathamā · ekavacana

Right context Saptamī (7th case): "when X follows", the operation applies to what precedes (1.1.66 तस्मिन्निति निर्दिष्टे पूर्वस्य). Also a condition or domain ("in the sense of").
Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.

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Full reading

बहुषु

Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.

Commentary

In expressing multeity, a Plural case affix is employed.
When it is intended to denote multeity those affixes should be employed after nouns and verbs, which denote plural number. Thus ब्राह्मणाः पठन्ति, The Brahmins read.

This rule applies to words which are capable of expressing numbers. Indeclinables (Avyaya) do not admit of numbers, and consequently they are always in singular number which is the general form.

Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.