5.4.136
अल्पाख्यायाम्
Operational rule vidhi
The इ is substituted for the final अ of गन्ध at the end of a बहुव्रीहि समास when गन्ध means 'a little'.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context अल्पाख्यायाम् 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
अल्पाख्यायाम्
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The इ is substituted for the final अ of गन्ध at the end of a बहुव्रीहि समास when गन्ध means 'a little'.
Thus सूपोऽल्पोऽस्मिन् = सूपगन्धि भोजनम् "food with a little broth". So घृतगन्धि "food with a little-a mere scent- of ghee". So क्षीरगन्धि ॥ Here गन्ध is a synonym of अल्प ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.