kimartham īdādīnām taparāṇām pragṛhyasañjñā ucyate .
For what purpose is the pragṛhya designation stated for the t-marked (tapara) īt, ūt, et?
taparaḥ tatkālasya iti tatkālānām savarṇānām grahaṇam yathā syāt .
So that, by 'taparaḥ tatkālasya' (a sound followed by t denotes [only] sounds of its own duration), the taking-up of savarṇas of that same duration (tatkāla) may occur.
keṣām .
Of which [savarṇas]?
udāttānudāttasvaritānām .
Of the udātta, anudātta, and svarita [varieties].
asti prayojanam etat .
This purpose exists.
kim tarhi iti .
Then what [remains at issue]?
plutānām tu pragṛhyasañjñā na prāpnoti .
But (tu) the pragṛhya designation would not apply to the protracted (pluta) ones.
kim kāraṇam .
What is the reason?
atatkālatvāt .
Because of [their] not being of that [same] duration (atatkālatva).
na hi plutāḥ tatkālāḥ .
For the protracted [vowels] are not of that [same] duration.
asiddhaḥ plutaḥ .
The pluta is not-yet-effected (asiddha).
tasyāsiddhatvāt tatkālāḥ eva bhavanti .
Because of its being asiddha, [the vowels] are indeed of that [same] duration.
siddhaḥ plutaḥ svarasandhiṣu .
[But] the pluta is effected (siddha) in the vowel-sandhis (svara-sandhi).
katham jñāyate siddhaḥ plutaḥ svarasandhiṣu iti .
How is it known that 'the pluta is siddha in the vowel-sandhis'?
yat ayam plutapragṛhyāḥ aci iti plutasya prakṛtibhāvam śāsti .
In that he (the author) teaches, by 'plutapragṛhyāḥ aci' (a pluta and a pragṛhya [keep] their natural form before a vowel), the natural-state (prakṛtibhāva) of the pluta.
katham kṛtvā jñāpakam .
How does that make it an indicator (jñāpaka)?
sataḥ hi kāryiṇaḥ kāryeṇa bhavitavyam .
For an operation (kārya) must apply to something that [already] exists (sat) as its object (kāryin).
kim etasya jñāpane prayojanam .
What is the purpose in [thus] indicating this?
aplutāt aplute iti etat na vaktavyam bhavati .
The [restriction] 'aplutāt aplute (from a non-pluta, before a non-pluta)' need not be stated.
kim ataḥ yat siddhaḥ plutaḥ svarasandhiṣu .
What follows from 'the pluta is siddha in the vowel-sandhis'?
sañjñāvidhau asiddhaḥ .
In the prescription of a designation (saṁjñā-vidhi), [the pluta] is asiddha.
tasya asiddhatvāt tatkālāḥ eva bhavanti .
Because of its being asiddha, [they] are indeed of that [same] duration.
sañjñāvidhau ca siddhaḥ .
And [yet] in the saṁjñā-vidhi [the pluta is] siddha.
kāryakālam sañjñāparibhāṣam .
A designation-metarule (saṁjñā-paribhāṣā) [operates] at the time of the operation (kāryakāla).
yatra kāryam tatra upasthitam draṣṭavyam .
Wherever the operation [applies], there [the saṁjñā rule] is to be regarded as present (upasthita).
pragṛhyaḥ prakṛtyā iti upasthitam idam bhavati īdūdet dvivacanam pragṛhyam iti .
[When the rule] 'pragṛhya [keeps] its natural form (prakṛtyā)' [applies], this [rule] 'īd-ūd-ed dvivacanaṃ pragṛhyam' becomes present (upasthita).
kim punaḥ plutasya pragṛhyasañjñāvacane prayojanam .
But what is the purpose in stating the pragṛhya designation for the pluta?
pragṛhyāśrayaḥ prakṛtibhāvaḥ yathā syāt .
So that the natural-state (prakṛtibhāva) resting on [being] pragṛhya may occur [for the pluta too].
mā bhūt evam .
Let it not be so [i.e. let there be no need].
plutaḥ prakṛtyā iti evam bhaviṣyati .
'A pluta [keeps] its natural form (prakṛtyā)' — thus it will be [secured].
na evam śakyam .
It cannot be so.
upasthite hi doṣaḥ syāt .
For when [that rule] is brought in (upasthita), a fault would arise.
aplutavat upasthithe iti atra paṭhiṣyati hi ācāryaḥ : vadvacanam plutakāryapratiṣedhārtham , plutapratiṣedhe hi pragṛhyplutapratiṣedhaprasaṅgaḥ anyena vihitatvāt iti .
For here, at 'aplutavat', [that rule] being brought in (upasthita), the teacher will recite: 'the mention of vā is for the sake of prohibiting the pluta-operation; for in prohibiting the pluta there is the contingency of [wrongly] prohibiting the pragṛhya-pluta as well, since [its natural form] is enjoined by another [rule]' — thus.
tasmāt plutasya pragṛhyasañjñā eṣitavyā pragṛhyāśrayaḥ prakṛtibhāvaḥ yathā syāt .
Therefore the pragṛhya designation for the pluta should be sought (eṣitavya), so that the natural-state resting on [being] pragṛhya may occur.
yadi punaḥ dīrghāṇām ataparāṇām pragṛhyasañjñā ucyeta .
But if the pragṛhya designation were stated for the long (dīrgha) [vowels] without the t-marker (atapara) —
evam api ekāraḥ eva ekaḥ savarṇān gṛhṇīyāt .
even so, only the e-sound, [being] single, would grasp its savarṇas.
īkārokārau na gṛhṇīyātām .
The long ī-sound and long ū-sound would not grasp [theirs].
kim kāraṇam .
What is the reason?
anaṇtvāt .
Because of [their] not-being-an-aṇ (anaṇtva).
yadi punaḥ hrasvānām ataparāṇām pragṛhyasañjñā ucyeta .
But if the pragṛhya designation were stated for the short (hrasva) [vowels] without the t-marker —
na evam śakyam .
It cannot be so.
iha api prasajyeta : akurvahi , atra akurvahi atra iti .
It would wrongly apply here too: 'akurvahi atra, akurvahi atra' — thus.
tasmāt dīrghāṇām eva taparāṇām pragṛhyasañjñā vaktavyā .
Therefore the pragṛhya designation must be stated for the long [vowels] bearing the t-marker only.
dīrghāṇām ca ucyamānā plutānām na prāpnoti .
And [the designation], being stated for the long [vowels], would not apply to the pluta [vowels].
evam tarhi kim naḥ etena yatnena yat siddhaḥ plutaḥ svarasandhiṣu iti .
Then in that case, what [need] have we of this effort [in saying] 'the pluta is siddha in the vowel-sandhis'?
asiddhaḥ plutaḥ .
The pluta is asiddha.
tasya asiddhatvāt tatkālāḥ eva bhavanti iti .
Because of its being asiddha, [they] are indeed of that [same] duration — thus.
katham yat tat jñāpakam uktam plutapragṛhyāḥ aci iti. plutabhāvī prakṛtyā iti evam etat vijñāyate .
How [about] that which was stated as an indicator (jñāpaka), 'plutapragṛhyāḥ aci'? It is understood thus: 'that which is about to become pluta (plutabhāvin) [keeps] its natural form (prakṛtyā).'
katham yat tat prayojanam uktam .
How [about] that which was stated as the purpose?
kriyate tat nyāse eva aplutāt aplute iti .
That is done in the [original] composition (nyāsa) itself: 'aplutāt aplute' — thus.
evam api yat siddhe pragṛhyakāryam tat plutasya na prāpnoti .
Even so, the pragṛhya-operation that [applies] once [pragṛhya is] established (siddha) — that would not apply to the pluta.
aṇaḥ apragṛhyasya anunāsikaḥ iti .
[e.g.] 'aṇaḥ apragṛhyasya anunāsikaḥ' (a nasalized [substitute] for an aṇ that is not pragṛhya) — thus.
evam tarhi kim naḥ etena kāryakālam sañjñāparibhāṣam iti .
Then in that case, what [need] have we of this 'a saṁjñā-metarule [operates] at the time of the operation'?
yathoddeśam eva sañjñāparibhāṣam .
A saṁjñā-metarule [operates] just at its place of statement (yathoddeśa).
tatra ca asau asiddhaḥ .
And there [at that point] it (the pluta) is asiddha.
tasyāsiddhatvāt tatkālāḥ eva bhavanti .
Because of its being asiddha, [they] are indeed of that [same] duration.