5.2.6
यथामुखसंमुखस्य दर्शनः खः
Operational rule vidhi
The affix ख (ईन) and खञ् comes in the sense of 'a mirror' after the words 1. यथामुख and 2. संमुख being in Genitive 6th-Case in construction.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Target यथामुख- सम्मुखस्य ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaSubstitute / term दर्शनः prathamā · ekavacanaSubstitute / term खः prathamā · ekavacana
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
- 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.
Full reading
यथामुख-
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
यथामुख-
Replace yathāmukha-sammukhasya with darśanaḥ khaḥ. Inherited words (anuvṛtti) may add further conditions.
Commentary
The affix ख (ईन) and खञ् comes in the sense of 'a mirror' after the words 1. यथामुख and 2. संमुख being in Genitive 6th-Case in construction.
The word दर्शनः means that in which something is seen, such as, looking glass, mirror &c, which reflect things. The word यथामुख is an Avyayibhava compound, the meaning of यथा being that of likeness 2.1.6. Thus यथामुखं दर्शनः = यथामुखीनः 'showing or reflecting the likeness of the face' — a mirror. सर्वस्य मुखस्य दर्शनः = सम्मुखीनः 'showing or reflecting the whole face' - a looking-glass.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.