Page:Systems-of-Sanskrit-Grammar-SK Belvalkar.pdf/42

 § 20 - ] Systems of Sanskrit Grammar Panini's Ashtadhyayi, is divided into eight adhyayas of four pädus ench, euth ple being further subdivided into from one to nine ähnikas. The Mahabhashya does not notice all the strus of Pial, but only such as were noticed by Katyayaua, us also such others as Patanjali himself con- sidered incomplete and capable of improvement. Whether the remaining were likewise commented upon by Patañ- jali or not is more than what we can say. 34 21. Patani's Melbkieltya es marking the end of the first period in the history of the Pipiniya school.--Pauini, Kätyāyana, and Patanjali are traditionally known as the "three sages,' muni-trayam, who gave the law to the science of grammar. Each took for his study the whole field of the living lan- guage, and the contribution made by each to the stock of inherited knowledge and ideas is quite considerable. Patanjali's Mahabhäshya for a time marked the highest point in the development of the science of grammar. So far as grammatical speculations go, the next three or four centuries-which coincided with the bloom of the classi- cal Prakrit litorature and which also witnessed the Scythi- an invasions on a large scale--are a perfect blank to us; and our next leap from Patanjali should be to Chandrago- min, the founder of the Chandra school. 22. Chandragomla and his work.-Chandragomin was a close student of Panini, Katyayana, and Patañjali, and for his work he utilized all their labours, trying in several places, in the light of the changes that had come over 1 A faniful explanation of the fact that some of Panini's suras are not to be found in the Mahabhya gives in the Patañjala-cherita (Kirya- mala, No. 51), where it is said the accident. that some of the leaves of the 2 For a more detailed account of originally complete cepy oi him see $$ 42 and following, the Mahabhushya were blown away by the wind and others got disarranged. Another ac- count makes a monkey a responsible for