2.4.18
अव्ययीभावश्च
Operational rule vidhi
An अव्ययीभाव -- अव्ययं विभक्तिसमीपसमृद्धिव्यृद्ध्यर्थाभावात्ययासम्प्रतिशब्दप्रादुर्भावपश्चाद्यथाऽऽनुपूर्व्ययौगपद्यसादृश्यसम्पत्तिसाकल्यान्तवचनेषु (2.1.6), compound is also neuter gender.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Substitute / term prathamā · ekavacanaIndeclinable च avyaya
- Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
- Indeclinable An avyaya such as च "and", वा "optionally", न "not".
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Full reading
च
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
An अव्ययीभाव -- अव्ययं विभक्तिसमीपसमृद्धिव्यृद्ध्यर्थाभावात्ययासम्प्रतिशब्दप्रादुर्भावपश्चाद्यथाऽऽनुपूर्व्ययौगपद्यसादृश्यसम्पत्तिसाकल्यान्तवचनेषु 2.1.6, compound is also neuter gender.
Thus, अधिस्त्रि 'pertaining to a woman;' so also, उपकुमारि, उन्मत्तगंगम् &c.
But for this rule, an Avyayibhava compound would have been either without any gender, if gender were to be regulated by its first member, which is generally an indeclinable, and which is the principal member in the compound; or it would have taken the gender of its subsequent member, like other compounds in which the last member is principal.
The force of च is to include cases not mentioned already.
Vart:- Neuter gender is employed after the word अह्न preceded by पुण्य or सुदिन; as पुण्याहम् 'sacred day'; सुदिनाहम् 'lucky day.'
Vart:- The word पथ is neuter when compounded with a numeral or an Avyaya; as त्रिपथम्, चतुष्पथम्, विपथम्, सुपथम्.
Vart:- Adverbs, qualifying verbs, are put in the neuter gender and accusative case; as मृदु पचति 'he cooks mildly,' शोभनं पचति 'he cooks well.'
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.