8.3.45
नित्यं समासेऽनुत्तरपदस्थस्य
Operational rule vidhi
While doing a समास, the विसर्ग of the इस्/उस्-प्रत्यय when followed by a letter from कवर्ग or पवर्ग is always converted to a षकार whenever the words involved in the समास are associated with each other. However, if the पूर्वपद of this समास is a समास on its own, then the षत्व is completely prohibited.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Substitute / term नित्यम् prathamā · ekavacanaRight context saptamī · ekavacanaTarget अनुत्तरपदस्थस्य ṣaṣṭhī · 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").
- Target Ṣaṣṭhī (6th case): names what gets replaced, "in place of X" (1.1.49 षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा).
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Full reading
नित्यम् अनुत्तरपदस्थस्य
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
अनुत्तरपदस्थस्य → नित्यम् /
Replace anuttarapadasthasya with nityam when samāse follows. Inherited words (anuvṛtti) may add further conditions.
Commentary
The विसर्ग of इस् or उस् ending word which is not preceded by any other word is invariably changed to ष् in a compound when followed by a hard consonant or a labial.
The words इस् and उस् are understood here. Thus सर्पिष्कुण्डिका, धनुष्कपालम्, सर्पिष्पानम्, धनुष्फलम् ॥
Why do we say when it is not preceded by another word? Observe परमसर्पिः कुण्डिका, परमधनुः कपालम् ॥ The option even of the last sutra does not apply to these examples.
Question: The word सर्पिस् is derived from the root सृप् by adding the Unadi affix इसि (Unadi II.109), and यजुस् by the Unadi affix उसि (Unadi II.117), therefore on the maxim प्रत्ययग्रहणे &c, the word इसुसोः would denote the mere forms सर्पिस् and यजुस् and not forms like परमसर्पिस् &c. then what is the necessity of employing the word अनुत्तरपदस्थस्य in the sutra?
The very employment of the word anuttara-pada-sthasya in this sutra, is an indicator (jnapaka), that the restriction of the following maxim does not apply with regard to the affixes इस् and उस् : प्रत्ययग्रहणे यस्मात् स विहित स्तदादेस्तदन्तस्य ग्रहणम् "an affix denotes, whenever it is employed in Grammar, a word-form which begins with that to which that affix has been added and ends with the affix itself". This maxim not applying, we have परमसर्पिष्करोति or परमसर्पिः करोति by the previous sutra 8.3.44.
Question: Why is not there option in the case of compounds also by the previous sutra?
Answer:- Because the word सामर्थ्य there means व्यपेक्षा, and therefore does not apply to compounds.
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.