सोपानम् १२: सूत्र-षड्विधत्वम् & अष्टाध्यायी-संरचना (The 6 Sūtra Types & Topography)
Sopāna 12: Understanding the 6 types of sūtras that program Sanskrit and the 8-chapter architectural layout with the Tripādī boundary
१. दर्शनम् — The Architectural Master Chassis
"अष्टौ अध्यायाः परिमाणमस्य ग्रन्थस्य — अष्टाध्यायी"
aṣṭau adhyāyāḥ parimāṇamasya granthasya — aṣṭādhyāyī
The Aṣṭādhyāyī is structured into 8 Chapters (Adhyāyas), each with 4 Quarters (Pādas), containing ~3,995 Sūtras. Rather than disconnected rules, Pāṇini organized the grammar into distinct functional chambers.
षड्विधं सूत्रलक्षणम्
Every sūtra belongs to one of 6 types: Definitions (*Saṃjñā*), Meta-rules (*Paribhāṣā*), Operations (*Vidhi*), Restrictions (*Niyama*), Extensions (*Atideśa*), or Headings (*Adhikāra*).
८ अध्यायाः • ३२ पादाः
The chassis of the text: Adhyāyas 1-2 lay out definitions/compounds, 3-5 generate affixes, 6-7 transform stems, and 8 finishes padas.
सपाद-सप्त vs. त्रिपादी
7¼ chapters operate in full visibility, while the final ¾ chapter (Tripādī 8.2.1+) executes strictly in a one-way unidirectional pipeline.