ग्रामेऽनिवसन्तः

Operational rule vidhi

Before ग्राम the first syllable of the first member as acute accent (उदात्त) when thereby inhabitants are not meant.

Word by word (padaccheda)

Right context ग्रामे saptamī · ekavacanaSubstitute / term अनिवसन्तः 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.

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Full reading

ग्रामे अनिवसन्तः

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

Commentary

Before ग्राम the first syllable of the first member as acute accent (उदात्त) when thereby inhabitants are not meant.
Thus म꣡ल्लग्रामः, व꣡णिग्ग्रामः ॥ Here ग्राम is equal to समूह 'an assembly'. देवग्रामः = देवस्वामिकः ॥ Why do we say 'when not meaning inhabitants'. Observe दाक्षिग्रामः 'a village inhabited by the descendants of Daksha', माहिकग्रामः 'a village inhabited by Mahikas'.

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