10/30/2016

LordShivaandPanini,theGreatestGrammarian!|TamilandVedas

LordShivaandPanini,theGreatestGrammarian!

LordNatarajaShivawith14Sutras
ResearchPaperwrittenbyLondonswaminathan
ResearchArticleNo.1657Dated17thFebruary2015.
VakyakaramVararuchim,BhashyakaramPatanjalim
PaninimSutrakaramchapranatosmiMunitrayam
LetusbowtothegreatthreeseersVararuchi,PatanjaliandPanini.
Twothousandsevenhundredyearsago,therelivedamaninIndiawhoisconsideredthefatherofgrammar
intheworld.HisnamewasPanini.HelivedbeforeBuddhaandothergreatphilosophersofsixthcentury
BCE.Thoughhementionedseveralgreatgrammariansbeforehistime,wedontknowanythingaboutthem.
Wecouldnotgettheirbooks.PaninisgrammarbookAshtadyayiwasthefirstintheworld.
HereisastoryofapersonwhogainedthegreatestknowledgeintheworldoflanguagesbythegraceofLord
Shiva!TamilHindusinSouthIndiaandtheircounterpartsinNorthIndiaconsiderLordShivawastheone
whogavethemthelanguageandthegrammar.

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10/30/2016

LordShivaandPanini,theGreatestGrammarian!|TamilandVedas

TheworldisnotcelebratingPaninisworkAshtadyayiorPaniniyamjustbecauseitwasthefirstgrammar
bookknowninanylanguage,butbecauseofitsamazingstructure.HeconstructedagrammarforSanskrit
whichshowsthegreatestheighttowhichhumanthoughtcanraise.Thismarvellousthinghappened2700
yearsago!
HomersIliadwasjust100yearsoldbythattime.OtherlanguagesexceptSanskritdidnothaveany
literatureatall!MosescouldrepeatonlyTenCommandsoftheGod!OfcoursewehaveGilgameshinthe
MiddleEastandsomeotherwritingsinHieroglyphs(BookofDead)inEgypt.Buttheyareallmuseum
materialsandthattooprimitivethinkingwithoutanyhigherthoughts.Theyarenotliterature.ButSanskrit
hadhugevolumeofliteraturebythen.TheworldsgreatestliterarywonderRigVedawasreverberatingin
thenookandcornerofAsia.TurkeyhadRigVedicGodsinCuneiformletters.AndRigVedaisstillpreserved
initspristineformwithoutachangeofsinglesyllable.Allthisisdonebywordofmouth!!Thatisanother
worldwonder.Nowhereintheworldaliteratureofthatsizeispreservedwithoutwritingtilltoday!

LordShivasGrace!
PaniniwasastudentofGuru(teacher)Varsha.Hewasthedulleststudentinthegroup.Guru(teacher)was
nothappy.Guruswifealsotoldhimtogooutintotheworldandlearnthebasics.HewenttotheHimalayas
anddidpenance.LordShivaappearedbeforehimandtoldhimthathewasfullysatisfiedwithhisprayer
andwasreadytogivehimwhateverhewanted.Paniniwasveryintelligent.Hedidnotaskforgoldcoinsor
beautifulwomenorakingdom.HeaskedLordShivatobestowhimknowledgeinthelanguage.Shivawas
veryhappystartedtodance.HiskettledrumboomedandtheHimalayanMountainsechoedit.
Paninniwassofocussedhecouldgetonly14beatsfromthedrumcalledDamarukainSanskrit.Basedon
thefourteensoundshewrotethemostfamousgrammarbookintheworldcalledEightChapters(In
SanskritAshta+Adhyayi).Itcontains3959Sutras.Sutrameansformulas.Hewouldntwasteasinglespace.
Evenifhecouldavoidafullstoporacommahewouldfeelasifhehadsavedonemilliondollars.Buthis
grammarwascomplete,nogap,noincoherency.
1.aiu
2.k
3.eo
4.aiauc
5.hayavara
6.la
7.amaaanam
8.jhabha
9.ghahadha
10.jabagaada
11.khaphachahathacaatav
12.kapay
13.aasar
14.hal
ThiscontainallthelettersofSanskritlanguage.

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LordShivaandPanini,theGreatestGrammarian!|TamilandVedas

Hementioned500townsinhiswork.Thisshowshisvastgeographicalknowledge.Hetalksabout
51stgenerationofBharadwajaetc.ThisshowshisknowledgeintheancienthistoryofIndia.Peopleerected
astatueforhiminhisbirthplace,nowinPakistan.ChinesetravellerHuanTaangsawthestatue1400years
ago.PatanjaliwhowroteacommentarypraisedhimasBhagavanPanini.LikeDivineHomerandDivine
TiruvalluvarhewascalledDivinePanini.HewasconsideredaseeraMaharishi.
PatanjalisaysthatholdingtheholygrassDharbainhishand,facingEast,hewrotethemarvellousgrammar
intheworld.Iwillexplainthe14soundsheheardinanotherarticle.TheyarecalledMaheswaraniSutrani.
Brahminsrepeatthe14sutraseveryyearonthedaytheychangetheirsacredthreadandstarttheVedic
studiesagain.GreatSanskritscholarssaythathisgrammarisclosertoVediclanguagethanclassical
Sanskrit.HenevermentionedBuddhaorMahavira.Helivedwellbeforetheirtime.
Paninimentionedthegrammariansbeforehistime:Upavarsha,Parasarya,Karmanda,Sakatayana,Apitali
andSakalya.Whenhewasgoingintoajunglewithhisstudents,therecameatiger!Allthestudentsran
away.ButPaninistaredatthetigerandanalysedthewordVyagra,Sanskritwordfortiger.
Westernlinguistswonderhowapersoncanwriteagrammarinsuchascientificwayatthatperiod.Mostof
theworldwasuncivilisedatthattime.ButIndiahadproducedwealthyliterature,quantitativelyand
qualitativelyveryhigh.
InKashmirakingpassedanorderthateveryonemustlearnAshtadyayiandthosewhopassedinitwere
awarded1000goldcoinseach!

PaninidiedonaTrayodasiday(13thdayeitherafterthefullmoonornewmoon).Eventodaytraditional
learnersofSanskritinNorthIndiadeclareholidayforthestudieson13thday.Unluckynumber13!!Author
ofPanchatantraVishnusarmansaidthatPaniniwaskilledbyalion.WeknowthathistownwasSalaturyain
PakistanandhismotherwasDakshi.Allotherdetailsandstoriesabouthimarejusthearsay!
ThenamePaniniissynonymouswiththewordsWONDER,MARVELLOUSandAMAZING.Thosewho
studyhisgrammarwillunderstandit.
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