दिङ्नामान्यन्तराले

Operational rule vidhi

Words which are the names of the points of the compass are compounded, when the compound signifies the intermediate point and the compound so formed is बहुव्रीही.

Word by word (padaccheda)

Substitute / term दिङ्- नामानि prathamā · bahuvacanaRight context अन्तराले saptamī · ekavacana

Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
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").

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Full reading

दिङ्-नामानि अन्तराले

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

Commentary

Words which are the names of the points of the compass are compounded, when the compound signifies the intermediate point and the compound so formed is बहुव्रीही।
Thus दक्षिणपूर्वादिक् dakshina-purva, 'south-east,' (the direction midway between south and east.) पूर्वोत्तरा 'north-east.'

The word नाम is introduced in the sūtra to indicate that no compounding takes place when the words denoting direction are derivative words whose primary signification is not indicative of direction; as ऐन्द्र्यश्चकौबेर्याश्च दिशोर्यदन्तरालम् ' the point between east and north'. Here the words ऐन्द्री 'east' and कौबेरी 'north' though denoting directions, are derivatively so, and hence no compounding.

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