Panini (4th c. B.C.E.) was the finest Sanskrit grammarian, whose Ashtadhyayi ("Eight Sections")
descriptive description of the language established the prescrip tive standard
for the language in succeeding generations.
Panini was not the first grammarian, since he mentions
numerous in his book; rather, his brilliance came in his ability to organize
and systematize.
The Ashtadhyayi is divided into eight parts, each of which
is composed of a succession of concise aphorisms (sutras), each of which serves
as a foundation and context for the sections that follow.
Panini's choice of this format enabled him to provide a
comprehensive explanation of the language in the shortest amount of time
feasible, and the text's condensed format made it simpler to remember.
The Ashtadhyayi's brevity of phrasing, like that of other
sutra texts, necessitates a commentary, the most renowned of which is the Mahabhashya,
composed by the grammarian Patanjali in the second century B.C.E.
