De-Coding the Ashtadhyayi of Panini: Introduction to the Series

Introduction to the Series

For more than 2,500 years, the Aṣhṭadhyayi of Panini has fascinated grammarians, philosophers, poets, and now computer scientists. At first glance, it looks like a dense collection of nearly 4,000 rules — but look closer, and you see the blueprint of a language machine.

Sanskrit is such a vast language. After studying Sanskrit grammar for many years, I thought I should now get to the origin of it, viz, the Ashtadyayi. As I am trying to get my head around it and taking notes, I thought of writing a blog to not only help me cement the concepts but also to keep me going. This is not a formal course.

This collection is designed to introduce some of the concepts and make Paṇini’s genius accessible, engaging, and fun for beginners like me. Each part introduces concepts step by step. While this is an introduction, it does require some basic knowledge of Sanskrit and the Devanagari script.

As of now, I have written the following parts and will keep adding to it as I progress.

1. Introduction to Panini’s grammar and how it is like an ancient coding system.

2. The Lego blocks — Maaheshvara Sutras, and the mechanics of sound rules.

3. Word Factory — How suffixes, compounds, and derivations generate words.

4. The Magic of Sandhi — A deep dive into the rules of Sanskrit sound.

You don’t need to be a linguist or a Sanskrit scholar to read this. Each part has simple explanations, examples in Devanagari with transliteration, and analogies from modern life. There are also diagrams to make the ideas visual, and glossaries so you’re never lost in technical terms.

My hope is that, like me, you’ll discover that Sanskrit grammar is not dry or mechanical. In Paṇini’s hands, it becomes elegant, playful, and astonishingly modern.

Come on then, Let's go!