Verse 2.198

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.198:

तत्र षष्ठी प्रतिपदं समासस्य निवृत्तये ।
विहिता दर्शनार्थं तु कारकं प्रत्युदाहृतम् ॥ १९८ ॥

tatra ṣaṣṭhī pratipadaṃ samāsasya nivṛttaye |
vihitā darśanārthaṃ tu kārakaṃ pratyudāhṛtam || 198 ||

198. It is for the sake of preventing compounds that the sixth case-ending has been taught in some cases. The third case-ending comes after guṇa in order to show that it is the instrument (and not the object).

Commentary

[There are eight sūtras which teach the sixth case-ending in special cases (P. 2.3.52ff). No compound can be made of the two words connected by the sixth case-ending in the examples of these rules. For example, P. 2.3.52 teaches the sixth case-ending in mātuḥ smaraṇam. One cannot make the compound mātṛsmaraṇam [mātṛsmaraṇa], because the karmakāraka is here thought of as a general relation : karmaṇi śeṣatvena vivakṣite. If the compound is made, the sixth case-ending would have to be elided. No other kāraka is thought of as a general relation according to this rule. So the case-ending would be used according to the kāraka, as in mātur guṇaiḥ smarati. P. 2.3.52 teaches a restriction which is understood in two ways. The Kā śikā understands it thus:—karmaṇyeva śeṣatvena vivakṣite ṣaṣṭhī, na tu kārakāntare. Bhartṛhari understands it thus: karmaṇi ṣaṣṭhyeva, na tu samāsalugādi. Thus one can have a mātur guṇānāṃ smaraṇam and mātur guṇasmaraṇam.

The Vṛtti also discusses why the eight sūtras prescribing the sixth case-ending with particular roots have been given and why the same purpose could not have been served by the general rule Ṣaṣṭhīśeṣe (P. 2.3.50). Its view is that it has been done to prevent compounding: pratipadaṃ punar ārabhyate, samāsapratiṣedhaḥ kathaṃ syād iti.]