Sanskrit grammatical treatises, not only those of Panini and his successors but also work by Indian scholars representing other streams of grammatical thought, have long held the attention of modern scholars. The present volume contains a selection of the large number of papers presented in the Vyakarana Section of the 15th World Sanskrit Conference held in New Delhi, during 15-20 January 2012.
The scope covered in these papers is wide. The first contribution deals with currents in European traditions of Sanskrit grammars, from early works by missionaries to modern Sanskrit grammars. As could be expected, however, Panini is the centre of attention for most authors, whose contributions nevertheless differ in focus. Several scholars deal with theoretical issues concerning the interpretation and application of Paninian sutras, including points of Sanskrit syntax. The question whether particles (nipata), and preverbs (upasarga) in particular, should be considered independently to signify particular meanings or instead be treated as terms which serve to cosignify meanings assigned to items with which they co-occur is the object of two studies.
One paper treats in detail the relations which can be considered to hold between terms and the meanings they signify, with particular emphasis on what Bhartrihari has to say on this topic. A historically-oriented study deals with attacks on Paninian views by Mimamsakas of Prabhakara Naiyayikas. One scholar contrasts how particular nominal forms are derived in the Sarasvata system in contrast to the Paninian derivations of such forms. The final study in this collection brings us into the realm of modern Sanskrit literature, with a discussion of usage in the prose work Shivarajavijaya of Ambika Dutt Vyas.
Fellow scholars should welcome and profit from the varied studies contained in this volume.