Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c13.31

c13.31

**Different Classes of Literary Men.** Pāṇini acquaints us with different classes of literary men. These may be inferred from the different classes of literature mentioned in his Sūtras which have been already noticed. At their head is the Ṛishi whose literary work, as we have already seen, is not created or composed ("*kṛita*") but "seen", revealed, inspired. We have already noticed the names of some of the Ṛishis mentioned by Pāṇini. To these we may add the names of Praskaṇva, Maṇḍūka, and Hariśchandra [vi, 1, 153; iv, 1, 19]. The manner of the mention [e.g. iv, 3, 105] shows that the age of the Ṛishis was long gone. Pāṇini has to take note of the distinction between *ārsha* and *anārsha* (non-ṛishi) literature [i, 1, 16]. We have some Sūtras explaining formations that only apply to non-Ṛishis [e.g. iv, 1, 104 (*anṛishi*)]. Next comes the promulgator of original works. The works thus promulgated ("*prokta*" and not *dṛishṭa* or revealed) might be Chhandas, Brāhmaṇa, and Kalpa works. We have already noticed the authors of these three different classes of religious literature as mentioned by Pāṇini. Some of them might be *Ṛishis* [iv, 3, 103]. From the manner of Pāṇini's mention it is clear that the age of these promulgators was long past [iv, 3, 105], though there were still some later representatives of the class as noticed by Kātyāyana, viz. Yājñavalkya and Sulabha. The original works promulgated might also be in the domain of secular learning. Pāṇini refers to the originators of literature bearing upon ascetics (*bhikshus*) and actors (*naṭas*), as we have already seen. The third type of men of letters is the discoverer of original systems, who brings to light *new* knowledge as distinguished from the knowledge that is handed down [iv, 3, 115]. The fourth type was the ordinary author of ordinary works (which were neither *dṛishṭa*, nor *prokta*, but *kṛita*). Kātyāyana mentions the formation *Śāstrakṛit* [Vārttika to iii, 1, 85]. The fifth type was the commentator [see *ante* for these references]. Thus Pāṇini practically refers to all possible varieties of literature and literary men that would all be connected with one or other of the following, viz. (*a*) *inspired* literature, (*b*) *original* works connected with This page is blank and contains no printed text to transcribe.