5.4.74
ऋक्पूरब्धूःपथामानक्षे
Operational rule vidhi
The affix अ comes after 1. ऋक् 2. पुर् 3. अप् 4. धुर् and 5. पथिन् when finals is compound, but not so when धुर् is in conjunction with अक्ष.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Target ऋक्पूरप्धूःपथाम् ṣaṣṭhī · bahuvacanaWord अ Right context अनक्षे saptamī · ekavacana
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
- Word Case not marked in the source data.
- 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
ऋक्पूरप्धूःपथाम् अ अनक्षे
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The affix अ comes after 1. ऋक् 2. पुर् 3. अप् 4. धुर् and 5. पथिन् when finals is compound, but not so when धुर् is in conjunction with अक्ष।
The anuvritti of the word Bahuvrihi does not enter here. It applies to all compounds in general. The word अनक्षे qualifies धुर्, as it cannot qualify the words ऋक् &c.
Thus अनृचः बह्वृचः,अर्द्धर्चः, pur: as, ललाटपुरम्, नान्दीपुरम् ॥ ap as, द्वीपम् = (द्विर्गता आपो यस्मिन्) = द्वि + अप् = द्वि + ईप् 6.3.97 = द्वीपं, अन्तरीपम्, समीपम् ॥ dhur as, राजधुरा, महाधुरा ॥ pathin, as, जलपथः ॥
Why do we say "when not in conjunction with अक्ष?" Observe, अक्षस्य धूः = अक्षधूः, दृढधूरक्षः ॥
The words अनृचः and बह्वृचः apply to students of Rik: thus अनृचः means "a boy who has not read the Rik". बह्वृचः "a Brahmana who has read many Rig verses". The affix अ is not applied when it refers to the Vedas, as अनृक साम, बह्वृक् सूक्तम् ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.