6.3.115
कर्णे लक्षणस्याविष्टाष्टपञ्चमणिभिन्नछिन्नछिद्रस्रुवस्वस्तिकस्य
Operational rule vidhi
Before कर्ण there is the substitution of a long vowel for the final of the preceding word when it denotes a proprietorship mark or the ears of cattle, but not when the words 1. विष्ट 2. अष्टन् 3. पञ्चन् 4. मणि 5. भिन्न 6. छिन्न 7. छिद्र 8. स्रुव and 9. स्वस्तिक.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Right context कर्णे saptamī · ekavacanaTarget लक्षणस्य ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaTarget अ- विष्ट- अष्ट- पञ्च- मणि- भिन्न- छिन्न- छिद्र- स्रुव- स्वस्तिकस्य ṣaṣṭhī · 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").
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
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Full reading
कर्णे लक्षणस्य अ-
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
Before कर्ण there is the substitution of a long vowel for the final of the preceding word when it denotes a proprietorship mark or the ears of cattle, but not when the words 1. विष्ट 2. अष्टन् 3. पञ्चन् 4. मणि 5. भिन्न 6. छिन्न 7. छिद्र 8. स्रुव and 9. स्वस्तिक।
Thus दात्राकर्णः, द्विगुणाकर्णः, त्रिगुणाकर्णः, द्व्यङ्गुलाकर्णः, अङ्गुलाकर्णः ॥ The word लक्षण here means any peculiar mark showing the proprietorship, put or made on the ears of animals. Why do we say when it denotes such a mark? Observe शोभनकर्णः ॥ Why do we say 'with the exception of विष्ट &c'? Observe विष्टकर्णः ॥ अष्टकर्णः, पञ्चकर्णः, भिन्नकर्णः, छिन्नकर्णः, छिद्रकर्णः, स्रवकर्णः, स्वस्तिककर्णः and मणिकर्णः ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.