7.1.68
न सुदुर्भ्यां केवलाभ्याम्
Operational rule vidhi
The verb root लभ् , when attached to only the 'सु' or 'दुर्' उपसर्ग (and no other उपसर्ग) does not get a नुमागम in presence of खल्-प्रत्यय and घञ्-प्रत्यय.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Indeclinable न avyayaLeft context सुदुर्भ्याम् pañcamī · dvivacanaLeft context केवलाभ्याम् pañcamī · dvivacana
- Indeclinable An avyaya such as च "and", वा "optionally", न "not".
- Left context Pañcamī (5th case): "after X", the operation applies to what follows (1.1.67 तस्मादित्युत्तरस्य). Also used for limits and sources.
Dotted words are technical terms. Hover or tap one to see its card.
Full reading
न सुदुर्भ्याम् केवलाभ्याम्
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
The augment नुम् is added to लभ् 'to get' preceded by a Preposition before the affixes खल् -- ईषद्दुःसुषु कृच्छ्राकृच्छ्रार्थेषु खल् 3.3.126, and घञ् when सु or दुः alone (without another Preposition along with them) precede the root.
Thus सुलभम्, दुर्लभम्, सुलाभो, दुर्लाभः ॥ But सुप्रलम्भः, दुष्प्रलम्भः ॥ The word केवल is used in the sutra because सुदुर्भ्यो is in the Instrumental case and not in the Ablative. Had it been in the Ablative, there would have been no necessity of using the word केवलं, for the rule would not have applied, when a preposition intervened between these and the root. In अतिसुलभम्, the word अति is not an Upasarga but a Karmapravachaniya; when अति is used as an Upasarga, we have अतिसुलम्भः ॥ If the words सुदुर्भ्याम् be construed as Ablative, then also the use of केवल is for a purpose similar to that as above.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.