4.4.128
मत्वर्थे मासतन्वोः
Operational rule vidhi
The affix यत् comes in the छन्दस् (Vedas) with the force of मतुप् after a word in the Nominative 1st-Case in construction, the word so formed meaning 'a month' or 'a body'.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context मत्वर्थे saptamī · ekavacanaRight context मास- तन्वोः saptamī · dvivacana
- 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
मत्वर्थे मास-
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The affix यत् comes in the छन्दस् (Vedas) with the force of मतुप् after a word in the Nominative 1st-Case in construction, the word so formed meaning 'a month' or 'a body'.
This debars the affix मतुप् and those having the sense of मतुप् ॥ Thus नभांसि विद्यन्ते यस्मिन् मासे = नभस्यः 'the month of clouds' i. e. June - July. So also सहस्य, तपस्यः मधव्यः, being the names of the months Pausha (Nov-Dec), Phalguna (Feb-March) and Vaisakha (April-May). The word मधव्यः is thus formed:- मधु + यत् = मधा + यत् 6.4.146 = मधव्यः 6.1.79 'the month of honey'. Similarly ओजस्या तनूः 'the bodies full of vigour'.
Why do we say "in denoting a month or a body"? Observe मधुमता पात्रेण चरति, here मतुप् is used.
Vart:- The affix यत् is optionally employed when the sense is 'immediately after'. As मध्वस्मिन्नस्ति मध्वस्मिनन्तरमिति वा = माधव्यः or माधवो मासः ॥
Vart:- Sometimes the affix is elided, and sometimes the letters अ, इ and र serve the same purpose as this affix. Thus तपः or तपस्यः, नभस् or नभस्यः, सहस् or सहस्यः, all in the neuter gender in the Chhandas. Sometimes अ serves the same purpose, e. g. इषो मासः, ऊर्जोमासः ॥ Sometimes इ, as शुचिर्मासः. Sometimes र e. g. शुक्रो मासः ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.