Astadhyayi

Astadhyayi is the foundational Sanskrit grammar treatise attributed to the ancient Indian linguist Panini. Literally meaning “Eight Chapters,” it is a concise yet highly systematic compilation that aims to describe the entire grammar of classical Sanskrit. Most scholars date its composition to the 4th century BCE, though exact dating remains debated. The text is the primary work of the Vyakarana (grammar) tradition in Indian linguistics and has profoundly influenced later grammatical theory and the study of Sanskrit.

The work consists of eight chapters (adhyaya) containing a total of about 3,959 sutras (rules). These sutras are densely compact and rely on a specialized technical notation, including shorthands called pratyaharas to refer to groups of sounds, and cross-references (anuvrtti) that allow later rules to carry forward earlier stipulations. Panini’s method is generative: a small set of rules, combined with metarules and context-sensitive transformations, derives the full set of valid Sanskrit forms from a canonical lexicon. The framework covers phonology, morphology, derivation, and aspects of word formation, including sandhi (phonetic shaping at word boundaries) and the formation of nouns, verbs, and compounds.

Contents and scope include phonological analysis, paradigmatic morphology, affixation, and extensive rules for samasa (compound formation) as well as syntactic alignment of forms. The text emphasizes generalization and economy, often stating broad principles that are later restricted by context.

Influence and legacy: Astadhyayi became the standard reference for classical Sanskrit grammar and inspired a long tradition of commentaries and subcommentaries, notably Patanjali’s Mahabhashya, which elaborates and explains Panini’s rules. It remains a central source in Indology and the study of formal rule-based systems in linguistics.