8.1.70
गतिर्गतौ
Operational rule vidhi
A गति becomes unaccented when followed by another गति .
Word by word (padaccheda)
Substitute / term prathamā · ekavacanaRight context गतौ saptamī · ekavacana
- 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
गतौ
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
A गति becomes unaccented when followed by another गति .
Thus अभ्यु꣡द्धरति, स॒मुदा꣡मयति, अभि॒सं॒प॒र्या꣡ हरति ॥ Why do we say गतिः "a Gati becomes &c"? Observe दे꣡वदत्तः प्रपचति ॥ Here देवदत्त is a Pratipadika and does not lose its accent. Why do we say 'when followed by a Gati'? Observe आ꣡ मन्द्रैरिन्द्र हरिभि र्याहि मयूर रोमभिः ॥ Here आ is a Gati to the verb याहि, the complete verb is आयाहि ॥ But as आ is not followed by a Gati, but by a Pratipadika मन्द्र, it retains its accent. Had the word गतौ not been used in the sutra, this आ would have lost its accent, because the rule would have been too wide, without any restriction of what followed it.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.