2.4.20
संज्ञायां कन्थोशीनरेषु
Operational rule vidhi
When denoting an appellative, a तत्-पुरुष compound ending with the word कन्था 'town', is neuter in gender, provided that it is the name of a town situated in a country of the उशीनर-s.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context संज्ञायाम् saptamī · ekavacanaSubstitute / term कन्था prathamā · ekavacanaRight context उशीनरेषु saptamī · bahuvacana
- 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.
Full reading
संज्ञायाम् कन्था उशीनरेषु
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
When denoting an appellative, a तत्-पुरुष compound ending with the word कन्था 'town', is neuter in gender, provided that it is the name of a town situated in a country of the उशीनर-s.
As, सोशमिकन्थम् 'the town of Sausami'; आह्वरकन्थम् 'the town of Ahwara.'
When not an appellative, the form is different; as, वीरणकन्था. So also if the town is not in the country of the Usinaras, as दाक्षिकन्था.
This debars the rule 2.4.25 by which a compound gets the gender of its subsequent term. (For accent see 4.2.124)
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.