This study explores the early Indian analysis of a technical term in Sanskrit grammar. The term, "anga", denotes the segment of a word which begins with the form to which a suffix has been added and extends as far as, but does not include, the suffix.

This study explores the early Indian analysis of a technical term in Sanskrit grammar. The term, "anga", is defined and used by the grammarian Patanjali in his work "Astadhyayi". It denotes the segment of a word which begins with the form to which a suffix has been added and extends as far as, but does not include, the suffix. One of its functions in the "Astadhyayi" is to restrict a large number of grammatical rules to the formation of individual words. Accordingly, the operations taught in these rules cannot cross word boundaries and effect neighbouring elements in a phrase. The term is also used to provide an important limit on operations which would be caused by particular suffixes even when these suffixes undergo grammatical elision.