4.4.125
तद्वानासामुपधानो मन्त्र इतीष्टकासु लुक् च मतोः
Operational rule vidhi
The affix यत् comes in the छन्दस् (Vedas) after a प्रातिपदिक (Nominal Stem) in the Nominative 1st-Case in construction, ending with the affix मतुप् when the sense is 'this is their मन्त्र of putting up' provided that the things put are bricks and the affix मतुप् is लुक् elided.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Substitute / term तद्वान् prathamā · ekavacanaTarget आसाम् ṣaṣṭhī · bahuvacanaSubstitute / term prathamā · ekavacanaSubstitute / term मन्त्रः prathamā · ekavacanaIndeclinable avyayaRight context इष्टकासु saptamī · bahuvacanaSubstitute / term prathamā · ekavacanaIndeclinable च avyayaTarget मतोः ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacana
- Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
- Indeclinable An avyaya such as च "and", वा "optionally", न "not".
- 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
तद्वान् आसाम् मन्त्रः इष्टकासु च मतोः
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
आसाम् मतोः → तद्वान् मन्त्रः / इष्टकासु
Replace āsām matoḥ with tadvān upadhānaḥ mantraḥ luk when iṣṭakāsu follows. Inherited words (anuvṛtti) may add further conditions.
Commentary
The affix यत् comes in the छन्दस् (Vedas) after a प्रातिपदिक (Nominal Stem) in the Nominative 1st-Case in construction, ending with the affix मतुप् when the sense is 'this is their मन्त्र of putting up' provided that the things put are bricks and the affix मतुप् is लुक् elided.
This sutra requires analysis. तद्वान् is formed by adding मतुप् to तद् meaning 'having that', and refers to a noun formed by the affix मतुप् ॥ The word आसाम् is genitive plural fem. of इदं meaning 'of them'; the pronoun refers to the word इष्टका ॥ The word उपधान means 'putting up', and technically means 'used as a Mantra in the putting up of sacrificial bricks, pots &c'. मन्त्र "sacred hymn" इष्टका 'bricks'. The whole sutra means "the affix 'yat' is used with the force of a genitive (asam), after a word which ends with matup (tadvan), and denotes a mantra used in putting up of sacrificial objects; when such mantra refers to bricks : and when this affix yat is added, the affix matup is elided". Thus वर्चस्वान् is a Mantra containing the word वर्चस् ॥ The bricks put up or collected (उपधीयते) with the recitation of वर्चस्वान् Mantra, will be called वर्चस्या (वर्चस्वत् + यत् = वर्चस् + यत् the affix वत् (मतुप्) being elided = वर्चस्य, fem वर्चस्या) ॥ Thus वर्चस्या उपदधाति 'he collects Varchasya bricks i. e. on which Varchasvan mantra has been pronounced'. So तेजस्या उपदधाति ॥ So पयस्याः, रेतस्याः ॥
Why do we say तद्वान् ? The affix is not to be added to the whole Mantra. Why do we say, उपधान 'putting up'? The affix is not to be added to other Mantras such as those used in praying etc. e. g. वर्चस्वानुपस्थान मन्त्र आसामिष्टकानाम्, here there will be no affix. Why do we say Mantra? Observe अंगुलिमानुपधानो हस्त आसाम् 'these bricks are collected with hand having fingers', here there will be no affix. Why do we say इष्टकासु ? Observe वर्चस्वानुपधानो मन्त्र एषां कपालानाम्, here there will be no affix, the thing collected being potsherds and not bricks.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.