deriv LSK ETT STT aSTA ALPH OLDHOMEPAGE NEWHOMEPAGE

/niyama / नियम

A niyamaviddhi नियमविद्धि (restrictive rule) is a rule that doesn't make sense unless we add eva एव ("only") to it somewhere.

We know that a rule needs an "only", when not adding it leads to catastrophe.

Example.

Rule kharavasAn... says: both /ru and true r change into /H before all s स्.

Next rule rossupi says: /ru changes into /H before /sup'.

Now, according to kharavasAn..., /ru should change into /H before /sup anyway, therefore it appears that rossupi is not telling us anything new. And this is catastrophe, because if that were so, rule rossupi would be utterly useless. And /pANini does not do "useless".

The only way out of this is understanding that rossupi is an exception to kharavasAn... and means "but before /sup', ONLY /ru changes into /H, not true r" — same as saying "but true r stays before /sup'".

If /pANini had worded the sUtra as "rorevasupi रोरेवसुपि", we wouldn't need to have to think so much to figure out that eva एव must be supplied.

Sure, but the sUtra would be 3.5 /mAtrA longer. Remember that in old times, students had to memorize all the sUtras.