2.4.29
रात्राह्नाहाः पुंसि
Operational rule vidhi
The द्वन्द and तत्-पुरुष compound ending with the words रात्र and अह्न are spoken of in masculine.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Substitute / term रात्र- अह्न- अहाः prathamā · bahuvacanaRight context पुंसि 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").
Full reading
रात्र-
Commentary
The द्वन्द and तत्-पुरुष compound ending with the words रात्र and अह्न are spoken of in masculine.
These words refer to krit and Samasanta affixes. Thus the word रात्र is formed by रात्रि + अच् 5.4.87 अह्न is formed by 5.4.88 and अह by 5.4.91. The general rule 2.4.26 also does not apply here.
द्विरात्रः, त्रिरात्रः 'A space of two or three nights' पूर्वाह्नः, अपराह्नः, मध्याह्नः 'the forenoon, the afternoon and noon', द्वहः 'two days' त्र्यहः, 'three days.'
Vart:- The words अनुवाक &c., are masculine, as अनुवाकः, शंयुवाकः, सूक्तवाकः &c.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.