षोढा समासः संक्षेपादष्टाविंशतिधा पुनः ।
नित्यानित्यत्वयोगेन लुगलुक्त्वेन च द्विधा ॥
तत्राष्टधा तत्पुरुषः सप्तधा कर्मधारयः ।
सप्तधा च बहुव्रीहिर्द्विगुराभाषितो द्विधा ॥
द्वन्द्वोऽपि द्विविधो ज्ञेयोऽव्ययीभावो द्विधा मतः ।
तेषां पुनः समासानां प्राधान्यं स्याच्चतुर्विधम् ॥
चकारबहुलो द्वन्द्वः स चासौ कर्मधारयः ।
यस्य येषां बहुव्रीहिः शेषस्तत्पुरुषः स्मृतः ॥
ṣoḍhā samāsaḥ saṁkṣepād aṣṭāviṁśatidhā punaḥ |
nityānityatva-yogena lug-aluktvena ca dvidhā ||
tatrāṣṭadhā tatpuruṣaḥ saptadhā karmadhārayaḥ |
saptadhā ca bahuvrīhir dvigur ābhāṣito dvidhā ||
dvandvo’pi dvividho jñeyo’vyayībhāvo dvidhā mataḥ |
teṣāṁ punaḥ samāsānāṁ prādhānyaṁ syāc caturvidham ||
ca-kāra-bahulo dvandvaḥ sa cāsau karmadhārayaḥ |
yasya yeṣāṁ bahuvrīhiḥ śeṣas tatpuruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
(Samāsa-cakram: 1–4)
“Samāsas (compounds) are in brief sixfold, and further [i.e., in terms of more detailed categorization] twenty-eightfold. They are also of two types by use of them as being compulsory or non-compulsory [i.e., being compounds the meaning of which cannot be expressed by its members when isolated, or not so] and of them being luk and non-luk [i.e., being compounds wherein the inflectional endings (pratyayas) of prior members are elided (luk), or not so]. Therein [among them], the (1) tatpuruṣa is eightfold, the (2) karmadhāraya is sevenfold, the (3) bahuvrīhi is also sevenfold, and the (4) dvigu is said to be of two types. The (5) dvanda too should be known to be of two types. The (6) avyavībhāva is considered to be of two types. Further, principality [i.e., a particular word being the principal member] within these samāsās can be of four types. The dvandva [i.e., the analytic paraphrase thereof] has many ca’s, and the karmadhāraya [has in its standard paraphrase] ‘sa ca asau’. The bahuvrīhi has yasya and yeṣām, and the rest are known to be the tatpuruṣa.”