5.3.73
अज्ञाते
Operational rule vidhi
The affixes क -- प्रागिवात्कः (5.3.70), and अकच् (अक्) -- अव्ययसर्वनाम्नामकच् प्राक् टेः (5.3.71), come after a word, noun or verb, when something or somebody not known is spoken of.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context अज्ञाते saptamī · 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").
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Full reading
अज्ञाते
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The affixes क -- प्रागिवात्कः 5.3.70, and अकच् (अक्) -- अव्ययसर्वनाम्नामकच् प्राक् टेः 5.3.71, come after a word, noun or verb, when something or somebody not known is spoken of.
This अज्ञात or want of knowledge refers not to the object itself, but to its relation with some other object. As अश्वकः 'whose horse?' गर्दभकः 'the ass' (of whom is this)? उष्ट्रकः &c. Similarly in उच्चकैः 'high' (is it so?) नीचकैः 'Is it low'? सर्वके 'was this agreed to by all'? So also विश्वके ॥ Similarly पचतकि "He cooks, is it?" जल्पतकि 'He speaks, does he?'
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.