Remarks on Pāṇini's grammar

Abstract

First, Pāṇini's grammar the Aṣṭādhyāyī (= ‘Eight Chapters’) is introduced to the reader with the aid of a few representative quotations. After a brief overall characterization of the grammar, its last rule (= “a a”), known to be the shortest grammatical rule in the world, is shown to convey the following message: “Now that the descriptive work is done, language is given back to its speakers.” In philosophy of logic Gentzen's natural deduction is generally preferred over Frege's and Russell's axiomatic approach, but Pāṇini is shown to offer a partial caveat. Finally, his unique role in the annals of scientific thought is justified by the fact that he is both the oldest and the best in his own field.