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The History of Pali grammar

Pali is one of the oldest languages in India, that was in use in and around the 6
th
century B.C. This language was traditionally known as a kind of Prakrit. The history of
Indian languages seems to have begun at least 1500 years before the Christian era, with
the arrival of Aryans to India. The language of Aryans was called Vedic (anskrit!. In
cause of time, two distinctive branches of languages started to emerge from that
common source of Vedic, such as Sanskrit and Prakrit. anskrit was predominantly
s"oken by Brahmins who were the main inhabitants of the #orth$western "art of India.
Today, Pali the language of Theravadi canon seems highly organied and well
shaped and a number of grammar treatises have also been "roduced on it. But until the
end of com"osing Pali commentaries, we have no considerable evidence to "rove the
e%istence of organi&ed grammar for Pali. 'ven the great Pali commentator
!"ddhaghosa and s"bse#"ent writers seem to have em"loyed some other grammatical
method that was not so develo"ed. The "resent Pali grammar treatises come to "ractice
during the "eriod of Polonnar"$a in medieval ri (anka. There are three treatises
written in this "eriod re"resenting three different traditions, namely)
1% &accayana Vyakarana
'% (oggallayana Vyakarana
)% Saddaniti Vyakarana
*rom these, &accayana is considered as the oldest com"osition. Though this was
written in ri (anka, and is a work of ri (ankan Buddhist monk, it has been
traditionally ascribed to the name of (ahakaccayana Thera, who was a famous
disci"le of the Buddha+s time. As the commentary to Ang"ttara*nikaya says
(ahakaccayana Thera has com"osed (verbally! three te%ts such as &accayana+
(ahanir"tti and ,ettippakarna.
It was a tradition of ancient writers not to mention the name of author in their
works. -nstead they ascribed them to a name of a rep"ted "erson in the "ast.
(ahakaccayana, who was an Arahant had as interest in Pali grammar. As bereaved,
who hailed from Avanti, a remote "rovince in ancient India, has attem"ted to establish a
method of grammar in order to define the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha was also
had appointed this Thera as the leading "erson of e%"laining what he said in brief in
congregations.
,owever, this traditional view cannot be established, taking the commentaries of
!"ddhaghosa into account, since commentator shows no knowledge of such a tradition.
Therefore, we are compelled to find the author of the &accayana grammar within ri
(anka. #evertheless, the author of the &accayana grammar, though a ri (ankan, was
not freed from the influence of Sanskrit grammar. ince the author "rescribes to adapt
non$Pali designation in Pali studies, it im"lies the influence of anskrit on him.
The (oggallayana, -
nd
im"ortant treatise on this sub.ect is a work of Ven%
(oggallana, a monk lived in Thuparama during the "eriod of Parakramabah"
(//01$//23!. The te%t is e.plicitly, different from the &accayana tradition, but has
adapted anskrit terms and forms in its com"osition as well. The book also
demonstrates the im"act of anskrit literature on ri (ankan academic circle during the
Polonnar"$a "eriod.
1
rd
im"ortant te%t written on Pali grammar is the Saddaniti, a work of Aggavamsa
Thera, who lived in Arimaddana of !"rma and was introduced to ri (anka by an
another monk named /ttara0iva. This bulky book, according to P% !"ddhadatta, neither
follows the &accayana nor the (oggallayana, but has adopted similar structure in its
com"osition.

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