India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c9.s5.t1.6

c9.s5.t1.6

(3) *Purusha*. Pāṇini mentions the *purusha* measure, preceded by a numeral, to denote depth (*Purushāt pramāṇe' nyatarasyām*, IV.1.24), *e.g.* *dvipurushā*, *dvipurushī*; *tripurushā*, *tripurushī parikhā*, a moat 2 or 3 '*purushas*' deep; or *dvipuru-sham*, *tripurusham udakam*; water 2 or 3 *purusha* measures deep (*Purusha-hastibhyām-aṇ cha*, V. 2. 38, *Kāśikā*). Anything equal to 1 *purusha* measure in depth was called *paurusha*.