Pāṇini, 2004 - Stamp, First Day Cover and Brochure

नमस्तस्मै पाणिनये

The Vyākaraṇa tradition of Pāṇini had been the object of serious study since several centuries in India. Classes where his grammar is taught begins with this respectful prayer:

येनाक्षरसमाम्नायमधिगम्य महेश्वरात् । 

कृत्स्नं व्याकरणं प्रोक्तं तस्मै पाणिनये नमः॥
yenākṣara-samāmnāyam-adhigamya maheśvarāt
kṛṭsnaṃ vyākaranaṃ proktaṃ tasmai pāṇinaye namaḥ
       

My salutations to Pāṇini who taught the entire grammatical system after accomplishing the sūtras from Maheśvara himself.

It is unfortunate that nothing is recorded about Pāṇini's biography except that are heard through stories. His greatest commentator Patañjali calls him Dākṣiputraḥ, meaning, son of Dākṣī, in his Mahābhāṣya.

Tradition is supported by a verse which describes the revelation of the 14 sūtras (aphorisms) called “Māheśvara-sūtrāṇi” by Naṭarāja to Sanaka and so on.

नृत्तावसाने नटराजराजः ननाद ढक्कां नवपञ्चवारम् ।
उद्धर्तुकामः सनकादिसिद्धानेतद्विमर्शे शिवसूत्रजालम् ॥
nr̥ttāvasānē naṭarājarājō nanāda ḍhakkāṁ nava-pañca-vāram
uddharttu-kāmaḥ sanakādi-siddhān-ētad-vimarśē śiva-sūtra-jālam 

Naṭarāja (Śiva) at the end of his dance (at pradoṣa), out of compassion to bestow the cosmic vision to the great siddhas (ascetics) like Sanaka and so on produced the Śiva-sūtras by sounding the damaru (drum) nine and five times (9 + 5). Pāṇini was doing intense tapas and the sounds from the damaru emerged to Pāṇini as a group of syllables, like --  

१. अ इ उ ण् ।, २. ऋ ऌ क् ।, ३. ए ओ ङ् ।, ४. ऐ औ च् ।, ५. ह य व र ट् ।, ६. ल ण् ।, ७. ञ म ङ ण न म् ।, ८. झ भ ञ् ।, ९. घ ढ ध ष् ।, १०. ज ब ग ड द श् ।, ११. ख फ छ ठ थ च ट त व् ।, १२. क प य् ।, १३. श ष स र् ।, १४. ह ल् ।   इति माहेश्वराणि सूत्राणि । 

1. a i u ṇ, 2. ṛ ḷ k, 3. e o ṅ, 4. ai au c, 5. ha ya va ra ṭ, 6. la ṇ, 7. ña ma ṅa ṇa na m, 8. jha bha ñ, 9. gha ḍha dha ṣ, 10. ja ba ga ḍa da ś, 11. kha pha cha ṭha tha ca ṭa ta v, 12. ka pa y, 13. śa ṣa sa r, 14. ha l-iti māhesvarāṇi sūtrāṇi. 

Based on these 14 sūtras (rules) Pāṇini composed 3959 sūtras, put them together and distributed it in 8 (aṣta) adhyāyas (chapters), which came to be known as the amazing Aṣtādhyāyī.

Panini's grammar has been evaluated from various points of view. After all these different evaluations, I think that the grammar merits asserting ... that it is one of the greatest monuments of human intelligence.  
-- G Cardona, Panini : a survey of research (Paris, 1976).
                

 








-- India Post released a stamp in honour of Pāṇini on 30.08 2004 in the denomination of

500P along with an FDC and Brochure.