Viṣamapadavyākhyā

A considerable amount of scholarship was produced by the Pāṇinian school between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Two of the most famous scholars from this period were Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita and Nāgeśabhaṭṭa. The former composed the hugely influential Siddhāntakaumudī, a commentary on the Aṣṭādhyāyī in which Pāṇini’s rules were radically reordered. Before composing this work, Bhaṭṭoji wrote the Śabdakaustubha commentary on the unaltered text of the Aṣṭādhyāyī. This was a massive work that was perhaps never completed. In his other grammatical works Bhaṭṭoji refers readers to the Śabdakaustubha for further details. Nāgeśabhaṭṭa was a pupil of Bhaṭṭoji’s grandson and is often regarded as the last great figure in the tradition of grammatical scholarship. He wrote several authoritative books on grammar, including three celebrated commentaries on Bhaṭṭoji’s works.

The existence of the Viṣamapadavyākhyā, a commentary on the important first nine lessons (āhnikas) of the Śabdakaustubha, was made known by cataloguers of Sanskrit manuscripts in the nineteenth century. The work was attributed to Nāgeśabhaṭṭa, but the question of authorship was never investigated. The present book is the first published edition of the text, and is based on nineteen manuscripts. These preserve widely differing versions that may possibly reflect the author’s own revisions. In the Introduction, the question of authorship is discussed. This cannot yet be answered definitively, but it seems quite possible that Nāgeśabhaṭṭa could have written the work. Although portions of two other commentaries directed to the first nine lessons of the Śabdakaustubha have recently been published, these portions cover a relatively small amount of the text. The present work is the first to offer a complete commentary.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Śabdakaustubha and Its Commentaries

The Identification of the Viṣamapadavyākhyā

Authorship of the Viṣamapadavyākhyā

Introductory and Concluding Verses in the Manuscripts

The Viṣamapadavyākhyā and Nāgeśa’s Other Works

The Viṣamapadavyākhyā and the Śabdakaustubha

Manuscripts of the Viṣamapadavyākhyā

Remarks on the Individual Manuscripts

References to śodhapatras, pāṭhāntaras, etc. in the Manuscripts

Relationship of the Manuscripts

Editorial Principles

Use of Vaidyanātha’s Prabhā for Editing the Viṣamapadavyākhyā

The Text of Vaidyanātha’s Prabhā

Textual References, Abbreviations, and Conventions

Page Index to the Viṣamapadavyākhyā and the Śabdakaustubha

Text of the Viṣamapadavyākhyā

Āhnika 1

Āhnika 2

Āhnika 3

Āhnika 4

Āhnika 5

Āhnika 6

Āhnika 7

Āhnika 8

Āhnika 9

Appendices

A: Manuscripts of the Viṣamapadavyākhyā not used in the edition

B: Folio index for the Viṣamapadavyākhyā manuscripts

C: Introductory salutations and intermediate colophons

D: Prabhā passages not given in the notes to the text

E: References to Nārāyaṇa, Ratnakṛt, Vivaraṇakṛt, and Sīradeva

Bibliography

Indices

Literary Studies

Language

           Other Ancient Languages