What comes to mind as a good example to understand use of विभक्ति-s is the सूत्रम् – ङमो ह्रस्वादचि ङमुण्नित्यम् (8’3’32) Let us proceed to study this सूत्रम् by the ordained method. 

So, first पदच्छेद-s => ङमः ह्रस्वात् अचि ङमुट् नित्यम् 

Next, let us identify the प्रातिपदिक-s and accordingly, their विभक्ति-वचन-analysis. 

ङमः (ङम् 6’1) ह्रस्वात् (ह्रस्व 5’1) अचि (अच् 7’1) ङमुट् (ङम्-उट् 1’1) नित्यम् (0’0)

  1. The प्रातिपदिक ङम् is a प्रत्याहार covering the अनुनासिक-s ङ् ण् न् Here, since ङमः is (ङम् 6’1), the sixth case षष्ठी विभक्ति used here denotes what has to become “of ङम्”
  2. Next, since ह्रस्वात् is (ह्रस्व 5’1), the fifth case पञ्चमी विभक्ति connotes “when preceded by”. Here, when preceded by ह्रस्व. Since ह्रस्व is a characteristics of vowels, ह्रस्वात् means “when preceded by अ इ उ ऋ or लृ”
  3.  Next, in अचि (अच् 7’1) the प्रातिपदिक अच् is a प्रत्याहार covering all vowels. The seventh case सप्तमी विभक्ति here connotes “when followed by”. So here अचि means “when followed by any vowel”.
  4. Next, we have ङमुट्, which is a compound word made up the components ङम् and उट्. Of these ङम्, as noted above, is a प्रत्याहार covering the अनुनासिक-s ङ् ण् न्. The second component उट् is a terminology used in अष्टाध्यायी for an आगम.  So, ङमुट् (ङम्-उट्) means ङम् come in as उट्, i.e there will be आगम of ङम्. 
  5. नित्यम् means always. 

Putting together the five ‘meaning’-statements we get overall meaning of the सूत्रम् as (1) of ङम् (2) when preceded by अ इ उ ऋ or लृ (3) when followed by any vowel (4) there will be आगम of ङम् (5) always. 

The सूत्रम् has been explained exactly like this and with examples by भट्टोजी दीक्षित in his सिद्धान्तकौमुदी. See Para 134 – ह्रस्वात्परो यो ङम् तदन्तं यत्पदं तस्मात्परस्याऽचो नित्यं ङमुडागमः स्यात् । प्रत्यङ्ङात्मा (प्रत्यङ् + आत्मा। सुगण्णीशः । सन्नच्युतः ॥

  • Note प्रत्यङ्ङात्मा is प्रत्यङ् + आत्मा Here ङ् is preceded by अ and is followed by आ. 
  • सुगण्णीशः is सुगण् + ईशः. Here, ण् is preceded by अ and is followed by ई.
  • सन्नच्युतः is सन् + अच्युतः. Here न् is preceded by अ and is followed by अ. Also in गीता 3’36 there is अनिच्छन्नपि (अनिच्छन्+अपि) न् is preceded by अ and is followed by अ.
  • In ईशावास्योपनिषत् at the beginning of second मन्त्र is the word कुर्वन्नेवेह (कुर्वन् एव इह). Note कुर्वन् + एव = कुर्वन्नेव. Here न् is preceded by अ and is followed by ए. 
  • For a counter example तान् + अहम् (गीता 16’19) does NOT become तान्नहम् because here न् is preceded by आ, which is not ह्रस्व. तान् + अहम् is simply तानहम्. Also पितॄन् + अथ becomes पितॄनथ (see गीता 1’26), because न् is preceded by ॠ which is दीर्घ. 
  • अस्मिन् + उद्यमे should be अस्मिन्नुद्यमे because न् is preceded by इ and is followed by उ. 

Are the meanings (fifth case = when preceded by), (sixth case = of), (seventh case = when followed by) so stated in अष्टाध्यायी ? 

Yes, in respect of fifth case पञ्चमी विभक्ति there is सूत्रम् – तस्मादित्युत्तरस्य<1-1-67> which is detailed by भट्टोजी दीक्षित in his सिद्धान्तकौमुदी in Para # 41 as पञ्चमीनिर्देशेन क्रियमाणं कार्यं वर्णान्तरेणाव्यवहितस्य परस्य ज्ञेयम् ॥  

In respect of sixth case षष्ठी विभक्ति there is सूत्रम् – षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा <1-1-49> which is detailed by भट्टोजी दीक्षित in his सिद्धान्तकौमुदी in Para # 38 as अनिर्धारितसम्बन्धविशेषा षष्ठी स्थानेयोगा बोध्या । स्थानं च प्रसङ्गः ॥ This is translated into English at <http://panini.phil.hhu.de/panini/panini/browse/> as “The force of the genitive case in a sûtra is that of the phrase “in the place of” when no special rules qualify the sense of the genitive.”

In respect of seventh case सप्तमी विभक्ति there is सूत्रम् – तस्मिन्निति निर्दिष्टे पूर्वस्य (1’1’66) which is detailed by भट्टोजी दीक्षित in his सिद्धान्तकौमुदी in Para # 40 as सप्तमीनिर्देशेन विधीयमानं कार्यं वर्णान्तरेणाव्यवहितस्य पूर्वस्य बोध्यम् ॥ This is translated into English at <http://panini.phil.hhu.de/panini/panini/browse/> as “When a term is exhibited in the seventh case in these sûtras, the operation directed, is to be understood as affecting the state of what immediately precedes that which the term denotes.”

Mentioned above are the main सूत्र-s for पञ्चमी षष्ठी and सप्तमी विभक्ति-s. But they are not all. Nevertheless they contain the essential concepts about विभक्ति-s of different words in a सूत्रम्. 

शुभमस्तु !

-o-O-o-

 

Leave a comment