Page:Systems-of-Sanskrit-Grammar-SK Belvalkar.pdf/95

 - § 68 Katantra Schoo!: Early History whole of the Vaidiki prakriya of Payini and all the other rules of an exceptional or difficult character have been simply omittel. Thus instead of the nearly 4000 stras of Papini, Sarvavarman could finish his work in about 855 sitrus, or including the section, 1400 sutras only. 67. B.rly alstry of the Katantra schut-The intrinsic merits of the work as also the fact that its author was patronised by a powerful king of the Deccan ensured its rapid circulation even in countries as remote as Käsmir and Ceylon. The explanation of this popularity is also partly to be found in the fact that there was an urgent demand for such a work. The text-books in use prior to the advent of this school were intended rather for Pandits and monks than for the merchants and agriculturists, in whom nevertheless the desire to learn the language of the Scriptures and of refined society was not quite absent. This led to the detection of inaccuracies and omissions in the original version of the grammar, which came to be rectified in the course of study, so that the original Sūtra- patha of Sarvavarman experienced, in the course of the next two or three centuries, the addition of the area and TE's, and the substantial assimilation with Śakta- yana's or Vararuchi's. During the period of its ensuing extensive circulation other minor changes or additions may have been made from time to time. text must in any case have been pretty fairly fixed in at least two recensions, the northern and the southern, before it found an able commentator in Durgasimha. The 68. Durgasimha and his vritti.-Whether Durgasimha had any predecessors in the task of expounding the Kätantra cannot now be ascertained. His was probably the first systematic attempt where necessary to explain and ampli- fy the Kätantra grammar so as to make it as thorough- by means of giving vārtikas, some of which later commen tators have incorporated wit the original sutrae. Of. Eggel- ing's edition, Notes, p. 578.