6.1.180
झल्युपोत्तमम्
Operational rule vidhi
The above numerals, when taking a case-affix beginning with a भस् or स् , get the acute accent on the penultimate syllable, when the said numerals assume a form consisting of three or more syllables.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context saptamī · ekavacanaIndeclinable उपोत्तमम् avyaya
- 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").
- Indeclinable An avyaya such as च "and", वा "optionally", न "not".
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
उपोत्तमम्
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The above numerals, when taking a case-affix beginning with a भस् or स् , get the acute accent on the penultimate syllable, when the said numerals assume a form consisting of three or more syllables.
The numerals षट्, त्रि and चतुर् when ending in a case-affix beginning with a झल् consonant, form a full word (पद), in such a word the penultimate syllable gets the acute accent. The very word penultimate shows that the पद must be of three syllables at least. Thus पंच꣡भिः, सप्त꣡भिः, तिसॄ꣡भिः, चतु꣡र्भिः ॥ Why do we say 'beginning with भ् and स्'? Observe पंचाना꣡म्, सप्तानाम् ॥
Why do we say 'the penultimate syllable'? Observe षड्भिः꣡, षड्भ्यः꣡ ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.