deriv LSK ETT STT aSTA ALPH OLDHOMEPAGE NEWHOMEPAGE

@true translation of anus rule

What's the TRUE translation of the anusvArasy... rule?

It is —

Before all consonants except r र् z श् S ष् s स् h ह्, replace /M with a nasalized /savarNa of the consonant.

Translating this rule together with vApadAntasya, /pANini said —

1. M ं always stays unchanged before r र् z श् S ष् s स् h ह्,
2. Before the other consonants,
   • if the M ं is not padafinal, it must be compulsorily replaced
   • if the M ं is padafinal, it may stay or be replaced

However, taking advantage of a negative liberty, nowadays most people always apply the optional line in the same way, namely like this —

when the M ं is padafinal and before y य् v व् r र् l ल् z श् S ष् s स् h ह्, never replace
when the M ं is padafinal and before a stop or a nasal, always replace

Therefore, the original rule sanctions two things that are seldom heard nowadays —

replace padafinal M ं with y~ य्ँ v~ व्ँ l~ ल्ँ before y य् v व् l ल् if you feel like it
do not replace padafinal M ं with /savarNa before stop or nasal if you don't feel like it

Does that mean that I may, if I want, say "say~yamya सय्ँयम्य" and "ta त hum tva त्व hum pazyasi पश्यसि" even if I hear everybody else say saMyanya संयन्य and tantvampazyasi तन्त्वम्पश्यसि ?

Yes. Magister dixit. namo pANinaye नमो पाणिनये. Even ta त hum tampazyasi तम्पश्यसि and tantva तन्त्व hum pazyasi पश्यसि are kosher.

The word yayi ययि means "before a /yay". But r र् is not a /yay. You cheated in the above translation.

You are right, but the cheat is not mine. Commentarists sneaked that r र् into the modern currently accepted interpretation of the sUtra. An r र् can never be nasalized, they say.