5.4.76
अक्ष्णोऽदर्शनात्
Operational rule vidhi
The affix अच् comes after the word अक्षि when not meaning 'the eye'.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Left context अक्ष्णः pañcamī · ekavacanaLeft context अदर्शनात् pañcamī · ekavacana
- Left context Pañcamī (5th case): "after X", the operation applies to what follows (1.1.67 तस्मादित्युत्तरस्य). Also used for limits and sources.
Dotted words are technical terms. Hover or tap one to see its card.
Full reading
अक्ष्णः अदर्शनात्
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The affix अच् comes after the word अक्षि when not meaning 'the eye'.
The word अच् is understood here. Thus लवणाक्षम्, पुष्कराक्षम् ॥ These are Tatpurusha metaphors formed by 2.1.56.
Why do we say "when not meaning the eye"? Observe ब्राह्मणाक्षि ॥ How do you explain the forms कबराक्षः, गवाक्षः, which apparently contradict this rule, because कबराक्ष is a many-holed leather horse-veil through which the horses can see, and so also गवाक्ष is a window through which men see? This is no fault. The word दर्शन in the sutra does not mean 'to see', here, but is a synonym of 'eye'.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.