Sanskrit Grammarians (5): Kṣīrasvāmin

[Full title: Sanskrit Grammarians and Vāsudevavijaya (5): Kṣīrasvāmin]

Kṣīrasvāmin is the famous scholar and he composed the commentary viz. Amarakośodghāṭana commentary for Amarakośa. Another work composed by Kṣīrasvāmin is Kṣīrataraṅginī. Vāsudeva mentions Kṣīrasvāmin, in the context of explaining the word vāvadūkaḥ |^[1] Here Vāsudeva stated that the affix ūk will be added to the word vāvadyate which is a ending with yaṅ as per the rule yajajapadaśāṃ yaṅaḥ (3/2/166) according to Kṣīrasvāmin.

In the Amarakośodghāṭana commentary, it is found that atyantavaktari vāvadūkaḥ | Amarakośa states that vāvadūko'tivaktari (3/1/35)^[2] the one who spoke well. Kṣīrasvāmin opined that the meaning of the word is atyantavaktā | In his Kṣīrataraṅginī also, Kṣīrasvāmin stated that vaderapīṣyate vāvadūkaḥ |^[3] Thus Vāsudeva incorporated the opinion of Kṣīrasvāmin also in Vāsudevavijaya to substantiate his grammatical perspectives.

Thus it can be found that Vāsudeva not only referred to the Paninian rules, but also the grammarians like Patañjali, Jayāditya, Bhoja, Kṣīrasvāmin, Vidyāsāgara etc. The references on such grammarians, pave the way to understand the knowledge of Vāsudeva in the other grammatical treatises also. His knowledge in the Pāṇinian and post Paninian grammar lead him to compose such a great Śāstrakāvya. This kind of knowledge in a vast area of Sanskrit grammar helps him to compose a detailed commentary also for this work. To sum up there is no doubt in the fact that his knowledge in the grammar not only in Pāṇini but also in other works is outstanding.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

dugdhaṃ payasyamapi yacchata ṣaṣṭikānāmeṣāmayidvimayamityabhivāvadūkaḥ |
goṣṭhāṅgaṇe sikatalesikatāmimānaḥ pāyyena sa vyāhṛta veṣyavapurvayasyaiḥ || ibid,v.5.17

[2]:

Amarakośa, 3/1/35.

[3]:

Kṣīrataraṅgiṇī, 1/739.