Sandhi (c): Visargasandhi

Pāṇini incorporates some aphorism in the third Pāda of the last chapter of Aṣṭādhāyī which exclusively deals with Visargasandhi. These aphorisms reveal various substitutes in the place of visarga (aspiration) under the conditions enumerated in these aphorisms themselves. Visarga undergoes modifications such as s, ś, ṣ, repha, Visarga, Jihvamūlīya and Upadhmānīya.

The first rule regarding this topic is visarjanīyasya saḥ (8/3/34) which means s is the substitute of a visarga when a consonant (khar) follows.

Example for this aphorism is given in the following verse of Vāsudevavijaya—

śravaḥ svāyatātanninādena nunnāḥ sapatrākṛtāḥ puṣpabāṇena bālāḥ |
sarojākṣasātkartukāmāḥ svamūrtirnirīyustvarāsaṃhitāḥ svāvasathyāt || (Vāsudevavijaya 7.38)

Here the word nirīyustvarā is a combined form and which can be separated as nirīyuḥ+ tvarā | In this state, the letter t in the word tvarā is one among in the Pratyāhāra khar | Then the visarga in nirīyuḥ, followed by t is substituted by s. Thus the form will be nirīyustvarā |

The verse holds an example for another rule vā śari which means the visarga is optionally Substituted for visarga, when a sibilant follows. nunnāḥ sapatrākṛtāḥ; here the visarga is following by s and thus as per the rule vā śari,visarga is substituted for visarga itself.

The same verse has another example for another rule kupvoḥkapau ca which means ka (jihvāmūlīya) and pa (upadhmānīya)are optionally substituted for the visarga, when followed by a hard guttural (kavarga) or hard labial (pavarga) | Example for this is sapatrakāḥ puṣpabāṇena | sapatrakāḥ + puṣpabāṇena→ sapatrakāḥ puṣpabāṇena |

In this manner almost all the rules of Visargasandhi is illustrated by Vāsudeva in his poem.