विभाषा अञ्चेरदिक्स्त्रियाम्

Operational rule vidhi

The affix ख optionally may be added without change of sense to a stem ending in अञ्च् when it does not mean a point of the compass used in the feminine gender.

Word by word (padaccheda)

Substitute / term prathamā · ekavacanaLeft context अञ्चेः pañcamī · ekavacanaRight context अदिक्- स्त्रियाम् saptamī · ekavacana

Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
Left context Pañcamī (5th case): "after X", the operation applies to what follows (1.1.67 तस्मादित्युत्तरस्य). Also used for limits and sources.
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

अञ्चेः अदिक्-स्त्रियाम्

Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.

Commentary

The affix ख optionally may be added without change of sense to a stem ending in अञ्च् when it does not mean a point of the compass used in the feminine gender.
Thus प्राक् or प्राचीनम् "old", अर्वाक् or अर्वाचीनम् "new".

Why do we say "when not denoting a direction in the feminine?" Observe प्राची दिक् "eastern region", प्रतीची दिक् "western region." Why do we say "a point of the compass"? Other words in the feminine will take this affix. As प्राचीना ब्राह्मणी, अर्वाचीना शिखा ॥ Why do we say "in the feminine"? A direction or दिक् used in any other gender will take this affix. As प्राचीनं दिग्रमणीयम्, उदीचीनं दिग्रमणीयम् ॥

Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.