ष्ण-अन्ता षट्

This sutra defines the term षट् which is a subdivision of the larger group sankhya. Those sankhyas which end in ष् or न् are called षट्. The word sankhya is understood in this sutra, because the word ष्णान्ता is in the feminine gender, showing that it qualifies sankhya which is also feminine.

The numerals that end in ष or न are six, namely पंचन् 'five,' षष् 'six,' सप्तन्, 'seven,' अष्टन् 'eight,' नवन् 'nine,' दशन् 'ten.'

It is one of the peculiarities of षट् words that they lose their nominative and accusative plural terminations (VII. I. 22). Thus षट् तिष्टन्ति, पंच गच्छन्ति ॥

The word अन्त in the sutra shows that the letters ष and न must be aupadesika i.e., must belong to the words as originally enunciated and not added afterwards as affix &c. Thus in शतानि 'hundreds, सहस्राणि 'thousands,' अष्टानाम् 'of eights' the न is not radical, but an augment, and therefore they are not षट् and the nominative and accusative plural terminations are not elided; as शतान् + इ = शतानि &c.,