6.4.140
आतो धातोः
Operational rule vidhi
The ending आकार of the भसंज्ञक अङ्ग of an आकारान्त धातु is removed.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Target आतः ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaTarget धातोः ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacana
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
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Full reading
आतः धातोः
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The final आ of a भ अङ्ग (stem) is elided when it ends in a root.
Thus कीलालपः पश्य, कीलालपा, कीलालपे, शुभंयः पश्य, शुभंया, and शुभंये from कीलालपा and शुभंया ॥ Why do we say 'the आ of a root'? Observe खट्वाः पश्य, मालाः पश्य ॥ This sutra should be divided into two (1) आतः (2) धातोः; so that the long आ in general may be elided. For Panini himself has declined क्त्वा and श्ना by the elision of आ, see 7.1.37, (क्त्वो ल्यप्) and 3.1.83, (श्नः शानच्) ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.