avyayībhāva

The avyayībhāva is a compound whose first member is an avyaya (uninflected word). An example:

• यथाशक्ति
  yathāśakti
  according to (one's) power
  

Defining the avyayībhāva

We first introduce another adhikāra:

• अव्ययीभावः। २.१.५
  avyayībhāvaḥ (2.1.5)
  avyayībhāvaḥ
  ... is an avyayībhāva.

Then the definition begins. First, the general case:

• अव्ययं विभक्तिसमीपसमृद्ध्य्व्यृद्ध्य्-अर्थाभावात्ययासम्प्रति-शब्दप्रादुर्भावपश्चाद्-यथानुपूर्व्ययौगपद्य-सादृश्यसम्पत्तिसाकल्यान्तवचनेषु। २.१.६
  avyayaṃ vibhaktisamīpasamṛddhyvyṛddhy-arthābhāvātyayāsamprati-śabdaprādurbhāvapaścād-yathānupūrvyayaugapadya-sādṛśyasampattisākalyāntavacaneṣu (2.1.6)
  avyayam vibhakti-samīpa-samṛddhi-vyṛddhi-arthābhāva-atyaya-asamprati-śabdaprādurbhāva-paścāt-yathā-anupūrvya-yaugapadya-sādṛśya-sampatti-sākalya-antavacaneṣu
  An avyaya [used with a related subanta becomes an avyayībhāva samāsa] when the avyaya has the sense of: a vibhakti, nearness, prosperity, loss, absence, expiry, non-presence, appearance of a word, later, accordance, sequence, simultaneity, similarity, entirety, or limit.

Rule 2.1.6 is massive and allows examples like upakumbham (“near the pot”), nirmakṣikam (“without flies”), and satṛṇam (“along with the grass”). The other rules for an avyayībhāva are more straightforward:

• यथासादृश्ये। २.१.७
  yathāsādṛśye (2.1.7)
  yathā a-sādṛśye
  yathā when not in the sense of sādṛśya (similarity) [becomes an avyayībhāva samāsa when used with a related subanta].

• यावदवधारणे। २.१.८
  yāvadavadhāraṇe (2.1.8)
  yāvat avadhāraṇe
  Likewise for yāvat in the sense of equal quantity;

• सुप्प्रतिणा मात्रार्थे। २.१.९
  suppratiṇā mātrārthe (2.1.9)
  sup pratiṇā mātra-arthe
  a sup [used] with prati when in the sense of “a small amount”;

• अक्षशलाकासंख्याः परिणा। २.१.१०
  akṣaśalākāsaṃkhyāḥ pariṇā (2.1.10)
  akṣa-śalākā-saṃkhyāḥ pariṇā
  and the words akṣa (dice), śalākā (stick), and numerals with the word pari.

Examples:

• यथावृद्धम् ब्राह्मणान् आमन्त्रयस्व
  yathāvṛddham brāhmaṇān āmantrayasva
  Invite the brahmins who are old (vṛddha)
  (2.1.7)

• यावत्फलम्
  yāvatphalam
  as many as there are fruits
  (2.1.8)

• सूपप्रति
  sūpaprati
  a little bit of soup
  (2.1.9)

• अक्षपरि
  akṣapari
  missed by (one) die
  (2.1.10)