6.1.98
अव्यक्तानुकरणस्यात इतौ
Operational rule vidhi
In the context of संहिता, When a word which is used to imitate some abstract sound and which ends is the phrase 'अत्' is followed by the word 'इति', then the 'अत्' of the previous word and the इ of इति are combined to form a पररूप-एकादेश.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Target अव्यक्तानुकरणस्य ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaLeft context अतः pañcamī · ekavacanaRight context saptamī · ekavacana
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
- 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").
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
अव्यक्तानुकरणस्य अतः
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The इ of इति is the single substitute for the अत् (of a word denoting imitation of an inarticulate sound) + इति।
The sound which is not distinct and clear, is called अव्यक्त; when some one utters distinctly something which has some resemblance to that sound, by some contrivance, it is called अनुकरण् or imitation of that sound. Thus पटत् + इति =पटिति, घटत् + इति = घटिति, झटत् + इति = झटिति, छमत् + इति = छमिति ॥.
Why do we say 'imitation of an inarticulate sound'? Observe जगत् + इति = जगदिति ॥ Why do we say "of अत्"? Observe मरट् + इति = मरडिति ॥ Why do we say when followed by इति? Observe पटत् + अत्र = पटदत्र ॥
Vart:- This applies when the word consists of more than one syllable. Therefore it does not apply in the following:- स्रत् + इति = स्रदिति ॥ How do you explain the form घटदिति in the following:- घटदिति गम्भीरमम्बुदैर्नदितम् ॥ Here the word is not घटत् + इति but घटद् + इति ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.