The affixes which are used when the sense is that of present time, may, optionally in like manner, be used when the sense is that of past or future time not remote from the present.,
The words समीप and सामीप्य are the words with the same signification, the latter being derived from the first by adding the affix ष्यङ्. This affix is added with a self-descriptive force, without making any modification in the meaning. We learn thus incidentally from Panini's using the word सामीप्य, that the affix ष्यङ् also comes with a self -descriptive (svartha) force, and the words चातुर्वर्ण्यः &c. are thus formed.
The affixes which begin with sutra 3.2.123 (वर्तमाने लट्) and end with (III. 3. I) (उणादय बहुलं,) are affixes which come in denoting the present time. These affixes come also with the force of the past or future time, when the sense is that the action has just taken place, or will immediately take place. Thus, to the question कदा देवदत्ताऽगतोसि 'when didst thou come Devadatta', it may, be replied, either अयमागच्छामि 'I come now', or आगच्छन्तमेव मां विद्धि 'know me even to have come'; or अयमागमम् 'I have now come'; or एषोस्म्यागतः 'I have come now'. So also to the question कदा देवदत्त गमिष्यसि 'when will you go Devadatta', it may be replied, either एष गच्छामि 'I go now' or गच्छन्तमेव मां विद्धि or एष गमिष्यामि or गन्तास्मि &c.
The phrase 'in like manner' (वत्) has been employed to indicate complete resemblance; that is to say, with whatever qualifications, the affixes have been enjoined to denote present time, namely, with whatever bases (प्रकृति), and words in compositions (उपपद), and restrictive significations (उपाधि), certain affixes have been enjoined;-the same affixes under those conditions and those circumstances, only will denote also immediate future and recent past. Thus शानन् by rule 3.2.128 comes after the prakritis पू and यज् in forming present participles; this affix, to denote past and future, must come only after पू and यज्, and so on. Thus पवमानः, यजमानः, अलङ्करिष्णुः 3.2.136 &c.
Why do we say 'not remote from the present, (सामीप्य)'? This rule will not apply when distant future or distant past is intended to be expressed. As परुद् अगच्छत् पाटलिपुत्रम् 'he went day before yesterday to Pataliputra'; वर्षेण गमिष्यति 'he will go in a year'.
One may say that \the word गच्छामि can denote by itself nothing but the present tense, and it is because it occurs in a sentence in connection with other qualifying words, that it is made to denote any other time; and it is a well-known fact that a tense which a sentence as a whole may indicate, has no bearing on the question as to what tense a verb must take, when we are preparing it for taking a grammatical tense; and hence the present sutra is superfluous\. To such we reply that the present sutra and those that follow are not meant for those who know the proper idioms of Sanskrit language; but for those only who do not know this.
Dr. Bohtlingk translates this sutra thus:-- 'Whatever is near to the present time, may be expressed as a present tense'.,