4.4.127
वयस्यासु मूर्ध्नो मतुप्
Operational rule vidhi
The affix मतुप् is added in the छन्दस् (Vedas) to the word मूर्धन्वत् in expressing bricks collected with the मन्त्र containing the word वयस्.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context वयस्यासु saptamī · bahuvacanaLeft context मूर्ध्नः pañcamī · ekavacanaSubstitute / term म prathamā · ekavacana
- 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").
- Left context Pañcamī (5th case): "after X", the operation applies to what follows (1.1.67 तस्मादित्युत्तरस्य). Also used for limits and sources.
- Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
Dotted words are technical terms. Hover or tap one to see its card.
Pink letters are it-markers (anubandhas), tags dropped by 1.3.9. Hover or tap one for the rule that marks it, or try the it-letter finder.
Full reading
वयस्यासु मूर्ध्नः मतुप्
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The affix मतुप् is added in the छन्दस् (Vedas) to the word मूर्धन्वत् in expressing bricks collected with the मन्त्र containing the word वयस्।
The word वयस्या means the bricks, the Upadhana mantras of which contain the word वयस् ॥ The affix मतुप् debars यत् ॥ A mantra which contains both the word वयस् and मूर्धन्, that Mantra is both वयस्वान् and मूर्धन्वान् ॥ Now in denoting sacrificial bricks put up with such a mantra, the affix यत् would have come by 4.4.125 after both these words वयस्वान् and मूर्द्धन्वान् ॥ The present sutra ordains मतुप् after मूर्द्धन्वान् ॥ Thus मूर्द्धन्व꣡तीरुपदधाति 'he collects Murdhanvati bricks'. The words वयस्याः and मूर्द्धन्वत्यः denote the same object. See 6.1.176.
Why do we say वयस्यासु ? The affix 'matup' will not be added to 'murdhan', if the Mantra contains only the word 'murdhan' and not 'vayas' also. In that case मूर्धन्याः will be the form, meaning 'bricks collected with the Mantra containing the word मूर्धन्', while मूर्धन्वत्यः means 'bricks collected with the Mantra containing the words murdhan and vayas'.
The sutra contains the word मूर्ध्नः ablative singular of मूर्धन् ॥ It ought to have been मूर्धन्वतः, for the affix matup is added to मूर्धन्वत्, the यत् being elided then by 4.4.125. The author has mentally elided the affix वत्, and shown in the aphorism the last stage of the word to which मतुप् is to be added.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.