2.1.16
यस्य चायामः
Operational rule vidhi
The word अनु 'alongside of' is optionally compounded with the word indicative of that whose length the particle expresses and compound so formed is called अव्ययीभाव.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Target यस्य ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaIndeclinable च avyayaSubstitute / term आयामः prathamā · ekavacana
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
- Indeclinable An avyaya such as च "and", वा "optionally", न "not".
- Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
Dotted words are technical terms. Hover or tap one to see its card.
Full reading
यस्य च आयामः
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
यस्य → आयामः
Replace yasya with āyāmaḥ. Inherited words (anuvṛtti) may add further conditions.
Commentary
The word अनु 'alongside of' is optionally compounded with the word indicative of that whose length the particle expresses and compound so formed is called अव्ययीभाव।
As, अनुगङ्गं वाराणसी 'the city of Benares extends alongside the river Ganges' अनुयमुनं मथुरा Mathura, alongside of the Yamuna, the length of Mathura being measured by that of the Yamuna.'
Why do we say 'length'? Observe वक्षमनु विद्योतते विद्युत्.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.