The Principle of Suspension (Asiddhatva) In Paninian Grammar

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ABOUT THE BOOK The principle of suspension (asiddhahem) is one of the most important and unique devices employed by Panini in the Andlydy, which allowed for the temporary omission of certain rules in the process of grammatical analysis. Its precise function was heavily debated in the school of Vyakarana over the centuries yet its interpretation is by no means uniform.

The present volume contains a translation and analysis of the Tripädi section of the Anidhyayi along with the relevant passages from the Mahaldsyn by Patanjali. Patanjali's role in elucidating the intricacies of Panini's grammar cannot be emphasized strongly enough, yet he finds it difficult at times to navigate between various, seemingly similar, rule ordering principles in the Aryayi. The book concentrates on Patanjali's understanding of asiddhatva and solutions he proposes to the question of rule suspension.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Malgorzata Sulich-Cowley is an Indologist and Sanskritist. She graduated from the Oriental Faculty at the University of Warsaw (Poland) where she obtained her PhD in 2013. She also studied at the University of Pune and University of Lausanne. Her areas of research include the tradition of Sanskrit linguistics, the philosophy of language and historical linguistics. She is currently working on the concept of negation in the school of Vyakaraṇa. She has authored a number of publications on various topics from the earliest history of Indian linguistics, including a book on the endocentric faddltita formations.

FOREWORD The present work mainly focuses on the portions of the Mahabhasya relating to the principle of asiddhatva. The author starts with an introduction to Panini, the Astadhyayi and its auxiliary texts. The structure of the Astadhyayt itself evinces that it saw light after a long grammatical tradition. Panini himself mentions ten predecessors whose influence can be estimated from the perusal of Astadhyayi and other related works. This is undoubtedly a unique creation of human mind. Katyayana (4 century B.C.) wrote the varttikas on the sutras of Astadhyayi and Patanjali (about 150 B. C.) wrote the Mahabhasya on both the Astadhyayi and the värttikas. The three grammatical works: Astädhyayi, värttikas and Mahabhasya have received the appellation, trintuni vyakaranam. It is due to the grammatical and hermeneutical complexities observed in the Mahabhasya that its serious and engaging study has been traditionally compared with the administration of a big empire (mahabhasyam ol pathaniyam maharajyam va palaniyam). The Mahabhäṣya appears to be easy to comprehend but quite difficult to understand. It requires absorbing endeavour to arrive at the targetted meaning. This aspect is the significant area where the meaningful contribution of the author can be seen and appreciated. She also discusses the distinction between the asiddhatoa of ablilya section beginning with A. 6. 4. 22 and that of tripadi section that begins with A. 8. 2. 1.

The author discusses various aspects of the term asiddha in the fourth section. She gives the literal meaning of the word asiddha as 'that which has not been accomplished'. She rightly assigns the meaning 'suspended' to the term 'asiddha', which effectively means that the grammatical operation or the aphorism which has prescribed that grammatical operation should be treated as if non-existent for a particular grammatical operation to take place. Then she moves on to take up the tripidi and abhiya sections and presents a good exposition supported by illustrations. The discussion on the käryäsiddhaton and Sastrasiddhaton versus asiddhavatta is useful in understanding the issues involved. Her comparison between siddhatoa and asiddhatva on the one hand and between siddhatra and nityatva on the other is also worth paying attention to. Taking up the problem of sthanivadbhava she says that the traditional view of treating sthanivadbhava and asiddhatra at par is highly unlikely since Panini has used two different terms and apparently invokes the standpoint of S. D. Joshi in her support.

Besides discussing the relevant grammatical issues logically, the significant contribution of the author is the fifth section of the present work. In 5.1 she gives the analysis of satvatukorasiddhah A. 6. 1. 86 accompanied by an explanatory exposition of various grammatical issues that have come up while discussing the significance of the sutra. In 5.2 (pp. 61-434) she presents the translation and analysis of the whole of tripadi with adequate illustrations showing grammatical structure. While discussing the sutras, vārttikas and Mahabhasya in detail, the explanation of the grammatical structure of the illustrations helps the reader in comprehending the relevant grammatical issues in the right perspective. After a proper understanding of the import of the sutra, one gains insight into the problem and thus is enabled to appreciate the significance of grammatical nuances.

**Contents and Sample Pages**