Panini was one of the most inventive and original people who helped in the development of knowledge of Sanskrit grammar, MEERA S. SASHITAL.
Sanskrit literature came into existence with the formation of Vedas and left a rich legacy of literary knowledge for the time to come. However, the language of the Vedas differed from the language used in Sanskrit poetry and drama. Classical Sanskrit literature is found to be in vogue when it comes to writing poetry, dance and dramas. This type of Classical Literature in Sanskrit has been a very big contribution to our knowledge and literature.
It must be noted that Sanskrit poetry is different from Vedic poetry. Being extensively used in religion and literature, primarily Hinduism, and the fact that most of the Indian languages have been derived directly from or strongly influenced by Sanskrit, the language and its literature is of great importance in Indian culture akin to that of Latin in Europe. Classical Sanskrit Literature can boast of many famous Sanskrit Scholars and their works being translated into foreign languages and Panini was one amongst them, a great thinker, who carved a niche in the galaxy of Classical Sanskrit scholars.
It seems there are hardly any written records regarding the dates or period as to when he was born. Experts give dates in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th century BC. There is also no agreement among historians about the extent of work which he undertook. What is in little doubt is that, given the period in which he worked, he is one of the most innovative people in the whole development of knowledge. It is, however, intimated that he was born in Shalatula, a town near Attock on the Indus River in present day Pakistan.
Sanskrit is considered to be a Classical language of India. Most of the languages spoken on Indian sub-continent are derived from Sanskrit. In Sanskrit language grammar is considered to be a very important part. It was thought of as a distinctive field of scientific study. It was considered as a kind of field that had its own parameters and set up rules and Panini is considered to be the creator to this language.
Panini was a Sanskrit grammarian who gave a comprehensive and scientific theory of phonetics, phonology and morphology. Sanskrit was the classical literary language of the Indian Hindus and Panini is considered the founder of the language and literature. It is interesting to note that the word “Sanskrit” means “complete” or “perfect” and it was thought of as the divine language, or language of the gods. Panini’s grammar is considered to be the world’s first formal system in language. It was invented way before Gottob Frege’s innovation in language in the 19th century.
Panini was one of the most inventive and original people who helped in the development of knowledge of Sanskrit grammar. He is considered to be the founder of literature and language. To put it more clearly, this famous Sanskrit Grammarian gave a scientific analysis of Sanskrit phonetics and morphology. Being the language of Gods, Sanskrit was considered to be complete and the perfect language. Panini analyzed the classical Sanskrit language which was the language of all literary works, and more light was thrown on the phonology of this language.
Among Panini’s works, the most famous and major one is called Astadhyayi. It is a thesis that consists of eight chapters and each chapter is subdivided into quarter chapters. This treatise basically highlights the difference between the language of sacred texts and the language used for communicating in normal lives. A basic set of rules and definitions was given to describe Sanskrit grammar. Starting with about 1700 basic elements like nouns, verbs, vowels, consonants, he explained the use of them and divided them into classes. He then went on to explain the construction of sentences and the use of compound nouns and tenses. Panini’s construction is very similar to the principles and function of mathematics defined today.
Joseph writes: “Sanskrit’s potential for scientific use was greatly enhanced as a result of the thorough systemization
of its grammar by Panini. On the basis of just under 4000 sutras (rules expressed as aphorisms), he built virtually the whole structure of the Sanskrit language, whose general ‘shape’ hardly changed for the next two thousand years. An indirect consequence of Panini’s efforts to increase the linguistic facility of Sanskrit soon became apparent in the character of scientific and mathematical literature. This may be brought out by comparing the grammar of Sanskrit with the geometry of Euclid – a particularly opposite comparison since, whereas mathematics grew out of philosophy in ancient Greece, it was …partly an outcome of linguistic development in India.”
Nothing certain is known about Panini’s personal life. According to the Mahabhasya of Patanjali, his mother’s name was Daksi. According to later traditions, his maternal Uncle’s name was Vyad. Some scholars suggest that his brother’s name was Pingala. His father’s name has been given as Panina, from which the name Panini derives. India honoured Panini by releasing a stamp of him in the year 2004. There is also a temple with the name Panini Smarak Mandir in the region of Kashi. It is said the temple was built with the soil brought from Pakistan where Panini was born.
Panini’s work has had quite an impact on the modern linguistics. In the 19th century, it seems, Europe got to know about Panini’s work. It was mainly Franz Bopp who started taking interest in Panini’s work. Later more linguistics like Ferdinand de Saussure and others started getting influenced by his work. Ferdinand de Saussure worked on and studied Panini’s work for three decades and he was very much influenced by Panini’s grammar. His study proved that after understanding all the aspects of the idea, it was clear that Indian ideas and grammar had influenced the European language structure.
Cardona expresses: “Panini’s grammar has been evaluated from various points of view. After all these different evaluations, I think that the grammar merits asserting…that it is one of the greatest monuments of human intelligence.”
