2.4.39
बहुलं छन्दसि
Operational rule vidhi
In the छन्दस् (Vedas), घसॢ is diversely substituted for अद्.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Substitute / term बहुलम् prathamā · ekavacanaRight context छन्दसि 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
बहुलम् छन्दसि
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
In the छन्दस् (Vedas), घसॢ is diversely substituted for अद्।
घस्तान्नूनम् । सग्धिश्चने । (Yajur Veda Vaj S.XVIII.9). Sometimes it does not take place; as आतामद्य मध्यतो भेद उद्भृतम्
The word बहुलं is used in this sutra and the word अन्यतरस्याम् in the next. There is evidently difference between the senses of these words; otherwise Panini would not have employed them in such juxtaposition, had they been synonymous. For then the anuvritti of बहुलं in the next sutra would have been sufficient. The following verse indicates that difference.
क्वचित् प्रवृत्तिः क्वचिदप्रवृत्तिः, क्वचिदविभाषा क्वचिदन्यदेव ।
विधेर्विधानं बहुधा समीक्ष्य, चातुर्विध बाहुलकं वदन्ति ॥
'Sometimes they are, where there is no express rule for their application; sometimes they are not applied, in spite of an express rule for their application; sometimes they are optionally employed or not, and sometimes there is some other result, licence permitted by the rule.' Thus in घस्ताम् there is not elision of the penultimate.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.