Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c5.5

c5.5

The fame of Pāṭaliputra as a centre of learning continued through the ages, outliving its political glory. Thus it is referred to in a work which is about a thousand years later, the classical work known as *Kāvyamīmāṁsā* by the poet Rājaśekhara who makes the following interesting statement: "There is a tradition (*śrūyate*) that Pāṭaliputra was the place which was the centre of examination of all makers of *Śāstras* (*Śāstrakāra-parīkshā*), the founders and exponents of different systems. Here were thus examined eminent creative geniuses and authors like Varsha and Upavarsha, Pāṇini and Piṅgala, and Vyāḍi. In later times, Vararuchi and Patañjali achieved fame as scholars by first passing their examination (*parīkshā*) at this city of learning."