5.4.56
देवमनुष्यपुरुषपुरुमर्त्येभ्यो द्वितीयासप्तम्योर्बहुलम्
Operational rule vidhi
After the words 1. देव 2. मनुष्य 3. पुरुष 4. पुरु and 5. मर्त्ये ending in the Accusative -2nd case or Locative -7th case, the affix त्रा is diversely used, having the force of the Accusative -2nd case or Locative -7th case.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Left context देव- मनुष्य- पुरुष- पुरु- मर्त्येभ्यः pañcamī · bahuvacanaTarget द्वितीया- सप्तम्योः ṣaṣṭhī · dvivacanaSubstitute / term बहुलम् prathamā · ekavacana
- Left context Pañcamī (5th case): "after X", the operation applies to what follows (1.1.67 तस्मादित्युत्तरस्य). Also used for limits and sources.
- 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
देव- मनुष्य- पुरुष- पुरु- मर्त्येभ्यः द्वितीया- सप्तम्योः बहुलम्
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
द्वितीया- सप्तम्योः → बहुलम् / देव- मनुष्य- पुरुष- पुरु- मर्त्येभ्यः
Replace dvitīyā-saptamyoḥ with bahulam when it comes after deva-manuṣya-puruṣa-puru-martyebhyaḥ. Inherited words (anuvṛtti) may add further conditions.
Commentary
After the words 1. देव 2. मनुष्य 3. पुरुष 4. पुरु and 5. मर्त्ये ending in the Accusative -2nd case or Locative -7th case, the affix त्रा is diversely used, having the force of the Accusative -2nd case or Locative -7th case.
The anuvritti of sati ceases, that of tra continues. The verbs kri, bhu and asti also have no scope here. This is a general sutra. Thus देवात् गच्छति = देवत्रा गच्छति, देवेषु वसति = देवत्रा वसति ॥ So also मनुष्यत्रा, पुरुषत्रा, पुरुत्रा, and मर्त्यत्रा ॥
By using the word 'diversely' in the aphorism it is intended that the affix comes in this sense after other words also; as बहुत्रा जीवतो मनः ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.