6.1.107
अमि पूर्वः
Operational rule vidhi
When a letter from the अक् प्रत्याहार is followed अकार of the अम्-प्रत्यय, both the letters are combined to form a पूर्वरूप-एकादेश.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context अमि saptamī · ekavacanaSubstitute / term पूर्वः prathamā · 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").
- 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, dashed ones pratyāhāras (names for classes of sounds or affixes). Hover or tap one to see its card.
Full reading
अमि पूर्वः
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
There is the single substitution of the first vowel, when a simple vowel is followed by the अ of the case ending अम्।
The word अकः is understood here. Thus वृक्ष + अम् = वृक्षम् 7.1.24 प्लक्षम्, अग्नि + अम् = अग्निम्, वायुम् ॥ The word पूर्व 'antecedent, first' in the sutra shows that the first vowel itself is substituted and not any of its homogenous vowels. Otherwise in कुमारी + अम् = कुमारीम् the ई would have been of three matras or measures, as it comes in the room of ई + अ, the aggregate matras of which are three.
In the Vedas, there is option, as शमीं or शम्यं, गौरीं or गौर्यम् ॥ अम् is the ending of the Accusative singular of all genders and also of the nominative singular in the Neuter in certain cases. (See 7.1.23, 7.1.24 and 7.1.28.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.