6.2.168
नाव्ययदिक्शब्दगोमहत्स्थूलमुष्टिपृथुवत्सेभ्यः
Operational rule vidhi
In a बहुव्रीहि समास the acute accent (उदात्त) does not fall on such मुख 'mouth' denoting a real mouth when it comes after an indeclinable and a name of a direction or after 1. गो 2. महत् 3. स्थूल 4. मुष्टि 5. पृथु and 6. वत्स.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Indeclinable न avyayaLeft context - दिक्शब्द- गो- महत्- स्थूल- मुष्टि- पृथु- वत्सेभ्यः pañcamī · bahuvacana
- Indeclinable An avyaya such as च "and", वा "optionally", न "not".
- Left context Pañcamī (5th case): "after X", the operation applies to what follows (1.1.67 तस्मादित्युत्तरस्य). Also used for limits and sources.
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Full reading
न -
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
In a बहुव्रीहि समास the acute accent (उदात्त) does not fall on such मुख 'mouth' denoting a real mouth when it comes after an indeclinable and a name of a direction or after 1. गो 2. महत् 3. स्थूल 4. मुष्टि 5. पृथु and 6. वत्स।
Thus: अव्ययः - उच्चै꣡र्मुखः, नीचै꣡र्मुखः ॥ The words उच्चैः and नीचैः are finally acute and retain their accent. दिक् - प्रा꣡ङ्मुखः, प्रत्य꣡ङ्मुखः ॥ The word प्राङ् has acute on the first by 6.2.52, and प्रत्यङ् is finally acute by 6.3.139. गो &c :- गो꣡मुखः, महा꣡मुखः, स्थूल꣡मुखः, मुष्टिमु꣡खः पृथु꣡मुखः and वत्स꣡मुखः ॥ In these the first members of the Bahuvrihi preserve their respective accents under Rule 6.2.1 and in the case of compounds preceded by गो, मुष्टि and वत्स, the optional rule taught in the next sutra is also superseded by anticipation, though the words may denote comparison.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.