8.3.6
पुमः खय्यम्परे
Operational rule vidhi
In the context of संहिता, when the word पुम् is followed by a letter from खय् प्रत्याहार which in turn is followed by a letter form अम् प्रत्याहार, the मकार of पुम् is converted to रुँ.
Word by word (padaccheda)
Target पुमः ṣaṣṭhī · ekavacanaRight context saptamī · ekavacanaRight context अम्परे saptamī · ekavacana
- 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").
Dotted words are technical terms, dashed ones pratyāhāras (names for classes of sounds or affixes). Hover or tap one to see its card.
Full reading
पुमः अम्परे
Pāṇini leaves out words that carry over from earlier sūtras. Expand to see the rule as a reader actually understands it.
Commentary
रु is substituted for the म् of पुम् (whereby the उ is changed to उँ or उं) before a surd mute (खय्) which is followed by a vowel, semi-vowel or a nasal (अम् प्रत्यहार).
Thus पुँस्कामा or पुंस्कामा; पुँस्पुत्रः or पुंस्पुत्रः; पुँस्फलं or पुंस्फलम्; पुँश्चली or पुंश्चली ॥ The visarga in पुंस्कामा required to be changed optionally to ᳶ jihva-muliya by 8.3.37, but it is not so done. It is changed always to स् here by 8.3.34, also. The स् of पुंस् is dropped by 8.2.23, and the preceding sound is म, which comes to light in forms like पुमान् &c. For the sake of distinctness, Panini has elected to exhibit the shorter form पुम् when in the beginning of a composition : because this shorter form पुम् is the real stem in composition. खय् pratyahara includes the ten hard consonants, and अम् pratyahara includes all vowels, semivowels and nasals. पुंस्कामा is formed by the affix ण = पुमांसं कामयते ॥
In that alternative when we read the preceding sutra as समः स्सुटि, then the anuvritti of this स् will be current in the present sutra also, and so there will be no scope for the operation of 8.3.37. And though the anuvritti of रु is also current, yet it will not apply here, because of its non-appropriateness in that alternative.
Why do we say 'before a surd mute'? Observe पुंदासः, पुंगवः 5.4.92. Why do we say 'followed by a vowel or semivowel or nasal'? Observe पुंक्षीरः, पुंक्षुरः ॥ Why do we use the word परे in the sutra? Had we not used it, the sutra_ might have been open to this construction also. The म् of पुम् is so changed before a खय् letter which has an अम् letter, (whether preceding it or following it). So that the rule would have applied to पुमाख्यः, पुमाचारः ॥
Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (1897), via ashtadhyayi.com.