6.3.110
संख्याविसायपूर्वस्याह्नस्याहन्नन्यतरस्यां ङौ
Operational rule vidhi
When the word अह्न appears as an उत्तरपद in a समास where the पूर्वपद is either a number, or the words वि or साय, it is optionally converted to अहन् in presence of the प्रत्यय ङि.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Target - वि- साय- पूर्वस्य ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaTarget अह्नस्य ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaSubstitute / term अहन् prathamā · ekavacanaRight context अन्यतरस्याम् saptamī · ekavacanaRight context ङौ saptamī · ekavacana
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
- Substitute / term Prathamā (1st case): in operational rules, the substitute or the thing introduced; in definitions, the term or its referent.
- 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").
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Full reading
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Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
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Replace saṃkhyā-vi-sāya-pūrvasya ahnasya with ahan when anyatarasyām ṅau follows. Inherited words (anuvṛtti) may add further conditions.
Commentary
अहन् may optionally be substituted for अह्न in the Locative -7th case singular when a numeral or वि or साय precede it.
Thus द्वयोरह्नोर्भवः = द्व्यह्नः, त्र्यह्नः ॥ The Locative singular of these are द्व्यह्नि or द्व्यहनि, त्र्यह्नि or त्र्यहनि ॥ So also द्व्यह्ने, त्र्यह्ने ॥ With वि - व्यह्नि, व्यहनि or व्यह्ने; साय - सायाह्नि, सायाहनि, सायाह्ने ॥ These are एकदेशिसमासः, and this very sutra is an indicator that अहन् may be compounded with other words than a Numeral, or वि or साय ॥ Thus we have मध्याह्ने = मध्यमह्नः 2.2.1. But पूर्वाह्णे and अपराह्णे only.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.