India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c6.88

c6.88

*KĀŚIKĀ, ITS VALUE FOR PĀṆINIAN TRADITION*—The *Kāśikā* is now the only ancient, exhaustive, concrete and authoritative commentary on the *Ashṭādhyāyī*. According to Haradatta it was written at Banaras (*Kāśishu bhavā*). Its importance for interpreting Pāṇini cannot be overrated. Amongst previous commentaries Bhartṛihari refres to *Vṛitti-kāra* Kuṇi (Kielhorn, *Bhāshya*, Vol. II. Intro. p. 21, footnote) and Kaiyaṭa mentions that Patañjali followed Kuṇi as an authority (*Pradīpa*, I.1.75, *Bhāshyakāras-tu Kuṇi-darśanam aśiśriyat*). A comparative examination of the extent commentaries on Pāṇini, *Tripādī*, *Bhāgavṛitti* in quotations, *Kāśikā*, *Nyāsa*, *Padamañjarī*) shows that each subsequent author was following the pre-existing Pāṇinian tradition.