6.4.9
वा षपूर्वस्य निगमे
Operational rule vidhi
When followed by a प्रत्यय which is a सर्वनामस्थान other than सम्बोधन-एकवचन, the उपधा स्वर of a नकारान्त अङ्ग becomes optionally दीर्घ in वेदाः, if that उपधा स्वर is preceded by a षकार.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Indeclinable वा avyayaTarget षपूर्वस्य ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaRight context निगमे saptamī · ekavacana
- Indeclinable An avyaya such as च "and", वा "optionally", न "not".
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
- 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
वा षपूर्वस्य निगमे
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The lengthening of the penultimate vowel of a अङ्ग (stem) ending in न् , before the affixes of the strong-case, is optional in the छन्दस् (Vedas) when ष precedes such a vowel.
Thus स तक्षाणं or तक्षणं, तिष्ठन्तमब्रवीत् । ऋभुक्षाणं or ऋभुक्षणमिन्द्रम् ॥
Why do we say 'in the Veda'? In the secular literature we have तक्षा, तक्षाणौ तक्षाणः always.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.