15. More rules for (șaţ) numbers (samkhya samgnya)

There are some more sutras for numbers (sam̨khyā) in the domain of sutra 1.1.23 (see previous post, 14).

1.1.24  șņāntā șaţ

Both the components (words) of this sutra are in nominative case, singular number (1/1). By carrying forward the topic from the previous, head or adhikāra sutra, by anuvrtti, we supply the understood word sam̨khyā,

1.1.24 șņāntā șaţ (sam̨khyā #23), the hash number denoting the sutra under the same adhyāya (volume or book) and pāda (quarter or section).

Next, the vŗtti or paraphrase, supplying all the understood words to complete the thought in the form of a statement:

Vŗtti: șakārāntā nakārāntā ca yā sam̨khyā sā șaţ samgñā bhavati

Now, to understand this thought, we need recourse to the commentaries. The first word component of the sutra refers to words ending in ș and in n; here we run into one of the peculiar occupational hazards of Panini’s bootstrapping exposition, that is that the original letters are changed by the rules of sound modification (sandhi), and we have to assume that it is the pre-sandhi sounds that the sutra is referring to, in this case ș and n, not ņ. Vasu points out that by putting the word form into feminine nominative, șņāntā, the sutra is indicating the implicit presence of the word sam̨khyā, also feminine gender. Such sam̨khyā or numbers are defined as șaţ, a special species of sam̨khyā. Vasu explains also the speciality of this type: as per sutra 7.1.22, they “lose their nominative and accusative plural endings”, as in pañca gacchanti, ‘five go’, șaţ paţhanti ‘six read’.

The numbers ending in ș or in n (șaţ  numbers) are the following:  pañcan ‘five’, șaș ‘six’, saptan ‘seven’, aștan ‘eight’, navan ‘nine’, daśan ‘ten’. They do take plural endings in the remaining vibhakti cases, it is only in nominative (first) and accusative (second) case that they stand shorn of endings as shown in the examples. Also, note that the form used is not the base form with the  terminal ș or n, but a modified form (pañca, șaţ). No doubt there will be rules for these transformations which we will come across by and by!

One more species of number  (sam̨khyā) is defined in the next sutra:

1.1.25 ḑati ca

Again the first element ḑati is in nominative case, singular number (1/1), and by anuvrtti we supply the understood words carried from the previous sutras,

Anuvŗtti: ḑati ca (șaţ sam̨khyā)

The vŗtti or paraphrase goes as follows:

Vŗtti: ḑatyantā ca yā sam̨khyā sā șaţ samgñā bhavati

“Numerals which end in D̨ati also are termed șaţ.”

The D̨ati word forms are already numerals, sam̨khyā, by 1.1.23 (previous post 14); now they are specified as  șaţ as well, which implies (by 7.1.22) that they lose their plural endings in nominative and accusative case, example:

Kati bhavanti ‘how many are existing’

Kati paśya ‘see how many’

We have a choice now of either jumping to the domain of the rules (here, 7.1.22 etc.), following the thread (sutra) literally, or keeping the application of rules for the future and carrying on with the current section (pāda). I thought it would be less confusing to carry on with the current section, 1.1, and reverting to the applications after we have done a good body of the basic definitions in Book 1.