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Question 178 of 236 · Books & Authors
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Panini's 'Ashtadhyayi' is a famous grammar of which language?

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Answer: Option C — Sanskrit

Detailed Solution

Panini was a famous ancient grammarian of the Sanskrit language. His work, the "Ashtadhyayi" ("Eight Chapters"), is the oldest surviving and most complete grammar of Sanskrit.

About the Ashtadhyayi:

  • It is believed to have been composed around the 5th-4th century BCE.
  • It contains about 4,000 short rules (sutras) arranged in eight chapters (adhyayas), each divided into four sections (padas).
  • The rules describe the sounds, word formation, sentence structure and grammar of Sanskrit with remarkable precision and brevity.
  • Panini used a highly technical method, with special symbols, meta-rules and the "Shiva Sutras" (14 lines listing the sounds of Sanskrit).

Modern linguists regard the Ashtadhyayi as one of the greatest achievements of grammar in any language. Its formal, rule-based method has been compared with modern computer programming languages.

After Panini, Sanskrit became fixed in its "classical" form.

About Panini:

  • He is believed to have been born in Shalatula, near Attock in the ancient region of Gandhara (now in Pakistan).
  • He is traditionally linked with Takshashila (Taxila).

Later grammarians who wrote on Panini's work:

  • Katyayana (Vararuchi): wrote "Varttikas" (explanatory notes) on the Ashtadhyayi.
  • Patanjali (2nd century BCE): wrote the "Mahabhashya" ("Great Commentary") on Panini's sutras and Katyayana's varttikas.
  • Panini, Katyayana and Patanjali are together called the "Munitraya" (three sages) of Sanskrit grammar.
  • Bhartrihari: "Vakyapadiya", on the philosophy of language.

Grammars of other languages:

  • Tamil: "Tolkappiyam" by Tolkappiyar, the oldest Tamil grammar.
  • Pali: "Kaccayana Vyakarana".
  • Prakrit: "Prakrita Prakasha" by Vararuchi.
  • Kannada: "Shabdamanidarpana" by Keshiraja (13th century).

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Pali is the language of the Buddhist Tripitaka; its grammar was written by Kaccayana.
  • ✗Prakrit grammar was written by Vararuchi and others.
  • ✗Tamil grammar is described in the "Tolkappiyam".

Quick tip

Remember: Panini = "Ashtadhyayi" (Sanskrit grammar, about 4,000 sutras in 8 chapters; Gandhara); Katyayana = "Varttikas"; Patanjali = "Mahabhashya"; Tamil grammar = "Tolkappiyam".

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Books & Authors — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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