4.4.65
हितं भक्षाः
Operational rule vidhi
The affix ठक् comes after a word expressing food, in the Nominative 1st-Case in construction, in the sense of 'this is wholesome diet for whom'.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Substitute / term हितम् prathamā · ekavacanaSubstitute / term भक्षाः prathamā · bahuvacana
- Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
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Full reading
हितम् भक्षाः
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The affix ठक् comes after a word expressing food, in the Nominative 1st-Case in construction, in the sense of 'this is wholesome diet for whom'.
The words तद् and अस्य 4.4.5 are understood. The word हितं governs dative (II.3.13, Vart). But the sutra is तदस्य हितं भक्षाः, the word अस्य being in the genitive case, how is this? Here अस्य should be changed to dative viz. तदस्मै हितं भक्षाः 'this for whom is wholesome diet'. The best way however, to remove this objection is to read sutras 4.4.65, and 4.4.66 in this wise: 4.4.65 हितं भक्षाः तदस्मै and दीयते नियुक्तं ॥ Thus अपूपंभक्षणं हितमस्मै = आपूपिकः 'He for whom cake is good food' i. e. who eats cakes with benefit, or who is fond of cakes. So also शाष्कुलिकः, मौदकिकः ॥ In analysing these taddhitas, such as आपूपिकः &c, the word हितं or its synonym, and a verb denoting eating should be employed.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.