Glories of India (Culture and Civilization)

by Prasanna Kumar Acharya | 1952 | 182,042 words

This book, “Glories of India on Indian Culture and Civilization”, emphasizes the importance of recognizing distinct cultural traits across different societies. The historical narrative of Indian civilization highlights advancements in agriculture, medicine, science, and arts, tracing back to ancient times. The author argues for the need to understa...

Knowledge of Philology and Grammar

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In referring to the Vedangas it has been already pointed out that the grammatical analysis of words. which forms poetical sentences and figures of speech was understood and practised from very early times. At any rate Yaska (about B. C. 500) knows of schools of Vaiyakaranas (grammarians) and of Nairuktas (etymologists). The grammar of Panini is sufficient proof that there existed a grammatical school which included in its work usages of different Vedas and the different schools of the same Veda. "The scientific study of grammar is clearly indicated in the Patanjali's Mahabhashya on Panini. Yaska already mentions noun (naman), pronoun (sarvanaman), verb (akhyata), preposition (upasarga), and particle (nipata). Vyakarapa proper refers to parts of speech such as case termination (vivakti), number (vachana), present tense (kurvant', euphonic combination (sandhi), compound (samisa), case (karaka), etc. Thus were distinguished stem and termination in nouns, and in verbs root and terminations, tense and other affixes and derivation of nouns from verbs by Krit suffixes and from nouns by Taddhita

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suffixes. Words were also derived from verbs by unusual affixes as mentioned in the Unadi-sutra. ; The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (about B. C. 350) comprising about 4,000 sutras (rules) treats in eight books of (i) (i) technical terms and rules of interpretation; (ii) nouns in composition and case relations (iii) the adding of suffixes to roots; (iv, v) adding of suffixes to nouns; (vi, vii) accent and changes of sound in word formation, and (viii) the word in the sentence. Katyayana's Vartikas of some 1245 Sutras are placed between Panini and Patanjali. About that time is also placed Vararuchi to whom are ascribed several works, viz., Prakrita-prakasa, book iv of the Katantra and the and the Linganusasana. The Vararuchi-Samgraha in 25 Karikas (rules) deals with case construction, compounds, verbs, and nominal function. Save for Bhartrihari, Patanjali (about B. C. 150) closes the line of great grammarians. His Mahabhashya has famous commentaries like those of Bhartrihari (about 651), Vakyapadiya in three books of verse, Kaiyata (12 th century), Nagoji-bhatta (about 1700) commented through Bhartrihari. There are other commentaries also on Panini, of which Kasika-vritti of Jayaditya and Vamana is well known for its clearness. The Dhatupatha which gives the roots according to classes with indicatory letters containing information regarding their formation is ascribed to Panini. On it are based the Dhatu-pradipa of Maitreya Rakshita, the Daiva of Deva, the Purushakara of Krishnalila-suka, and the Madhaviya Dhaturupa ascribed to Madhava, brother of Sayana of the 14 th century. The Ganapatha of some unknown author and the Gana-ratna-mahodadhi of Vardhamana (1140) are based on some other grammar. The Katantra, otherwise known as Kalapa and Kaumara, of Sarvavarman, is based on the lost grammar of Nepalese Buddhist Indragomin. It originally comprises four books. It appears with supplements in Tibetan translation and in Durga Sinha's commentary. Its Dhatupatha is extant only it Tibet. Its fragments have been found in Central Asia. There is a commentary, Sishya-hitanyasa, by Ugrabhuti. It deeply affected the Pali grammar of Kachchayana and the Dravidian grammarians. It was popular in Kashmir and Bengal. It came after Panini. The Chandra-vyakarana of one unidentified Chandra

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was popular in Kashmir, Tibet and Nepal and reached Ceylon also. It comprises a Dhatupatha, Ganapatha, Unadisutra, and Paribhasha-sutra, Kasyapa (about 1200), wrote a sort of commentary on it, Balavabodhana, which became popular in Ceylon. The Samkshiptasira of Kamadisvara (after 1150) deals in seven chapters with Sanskrit and in one chapter with Prakrit grammar. It was popular in West Bengal. East Bengal favoured Padmanabhadatta's Supadma-Vyakarana (1375), Bihar and Benares the Sasvati-Prakriya with commentary by A nubhuti Svarupa. Treatises on gender known as Linganusasana are ascribed to Fanini, Vararuchi, Harshadeva (605-647), Vamana (about 800), Sakatayana and Sakatayana and Hemachandra. They are also appended to Lexicons.

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