Interesting article on Panini and his birthplace by a Pakistani reporter

[Madhav Deshpande]

I found an interesting article on Panini and his birthplace by Salma Mahmud, a Pakistani reporter.  The article appeared in the Pakistani newspaper Friday Times.

Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1608, USA

[Madhav Deshpande]

My late colleague Professor Ian Catford from the University of Michigan many years ago visited Chota Lahur, the old Śalatura, in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, and told me that the local farmers had heard about Panini being from their town.  My other colleague from Michigan, Professor Peter Hook brought a potsherd from this place for me.  So I have the pleasure of physically touching an object from the birthplace of Panini.

Madhav Deshpande

--
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)
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[rniyengar]

Beautiful article, written with pride and feeling ! Thanks Prof.Deshpande for sharing it on BVP. I had not known about the end of PingaLa brought out by a crocodile. Is there any reference or allusion to this in our texts?

Thanks

RNI

[Madhav Deshpande]

The traditional verse that refers to various animals killing different sages runs as:

सिंहो व्याकरणस्य कर्तुरहरत् प्राणान्प्रियान्पाणिनेः 

मीमांसकृतमुन्ममाथ सहसा हस्ती मुनिं जैमिनिम् ।

छन्दोज्ञाननिधिं जघान मकरो वेलातटे पिङ्गलम् 

अज्ञानावृतचेतसामतिरुषां कोsर्थः तिरश्चां गुणैः ।।

Madhav Deshpande

--

निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)
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[sadasivamurty rani]

The sloka given by Madhav Deshpande ji is available in Panchatantra of Vishnu Sharma.

 

Dr. Rani Sadasiva Murty

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From: Madhav Deshpande <mmd...@umich.edu>
To: "bvpar...@googlegroups.com" <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, 3 August 2015 6:37 AM
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Re: Interesting article on Panini and his birthplace by a Pakistani reporter

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Thanks to Prof. Deshpande for sharing this heartening article.

 

"And today we find no takers for a fresh statue of our great ancestor being put up in his place of birth. "

 

"We are heirs to greatness. But we do nothing when this greatness is destroyed in the most wanton fashion. " 

reveals a great spirit.

 

These two countries experiencing an unfortunate political divide share common legacy in all such aspects.

 

If the destruction of archaeological sites happens in Pakistan for one reason, neglect and destruction due to ignorance etc. are found in our country too.

 

Brave and good hearts like the author of this piece can help the people to people cordial relations between the two countries.  

 

I am ecstatic with the sahAnubhUti with the feeling

 

"So I have the pleasure of physically touching an object from the birthplace of Panini."

 

Lucky you are Prof. Deshpande.

 

This pleasure is puNya.

 

Thanks again.  

Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[Nityanand Misra]

I do not know Salma Mahmud's credentials, but from this article (from February 2013), the author's reliability and journalistic ethics come across as highly doubtful. Here is the link: http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta3/tft/article.php?issue=20130208&page=16

The article says: ... but Panini states firmly at the beginning of Ashtadhyayi that he was born in Salatura, an area that has always produced warriors of the finest order.

Fact: śalātura is used once in the Aṣṭādhyāyī by Pāṇini, in the rule tūdīśalāturavarmatīkūcavārāḍḍhakchaṇḍhañyakaḥ (4.3.94).

Did the author even open the Aṣṭādhyāyī once before writing that?

Further, a comment on the page says this: 

a wikipedia reference after reading this article revealed that some sentences are a direct lift from the wiki article on paanini; nevertheless kudos to the writer to take up the cause of a site that reminds present day pakistanis of a past they dont want to acknowledge.

Posted: Sunday, February 10, 2013 by suresh bindhumadhav from bengaluru, india

This raised eyebrows and I thought of cross-checking. I could quickly find two instances of "lifting":

Here is the Wikipedia article on Panini as it appeared on January 22 2013: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=P%C4%81%E1%B9%87ini&oldid=534390975

Wikipedia: Pāṇini is known for his Sanskrit grammar, particularly for his formulation of the 3,959 rules[2] of Sanskrit morphology, syntax and semantics in the grammar known as Ashtadhyayi (अष्टाध्यायी Aṣṭādhyāyī, meaning "eight chapters"), the foundational text of the grammatical branch of the Vedanga, the auxiliary scholarly disciplines of Vedic religion.

Salma Mahmud: Panini's Ashtadhyayi formulated 3,959 rules of Classical Sanskrit morphology, syntax and semantics, and in its 8 chapters it was the grammatical branch of the Vedanga, the auxiliary scholarly branch of Vedic religion. 

Wikipedia: It is the earliest complete grammar of Classical Sanskrit, and in fact is of a brevity and completeness unmatched in any ancient grammar of any language. It takes material from the lexical lists (Dhatupatha, Ganapatha) as input and describes algorithms to be applied to them for the generation of well-formed words. It is highly systematised and technical.

Salma Mahmud: Panini's work is of a brevity and completeness unmatched in any ancient grammar of any language, and is highly systematic and technical. 

Smells like plagiarism. 

On Monday, August 3, 2015 at 2:36:29 AM UTC+5:30, Madhav Deshpande wrote:

[Dr Madhu Kapoor]

The book “The linguistic atom and the origin of language” by Gauri Dhrampal edited by Gautam Dharmpal , proves that Salatura is in Bankura district of West Bengal. She wrote

"Panini was born at salatura or today's Saltada of Bankura district of Banga in about 3400 years from now. He was schooled in the famed institute of  Dakshayayan  Vyadi......he travelled (extensively) on foot, on horse, in carts...collecting all the materials and sat down at a secluded place of his choice to write down  Astadhyayi  writing on palm leaves and paper like birch-barks. ....at the end of his life he settled down at Taksashila  and passed away there" ( pg. 211)

The book is very interesting and she speaks "with conviction which can come only from profound insight.." 

will establish Panini in new glory....a strong wave is current in England's education centres to reassess English grammar in Panini's line"

[Nagaraj Paturi]

nevertheless kudos to the writer to take up the cause of a site that reminds present day pakistanis of a past they dont want to acknowledge.

Posted: Sunday, February 10, 2013 by suresh bindhumadhav from bengaluru, india

 

is in good spirit.

 

Whether it is Salatura in Pakistan or Salatura in West Bengal or some other place, it is our reverential love for Panini that gives us ecstasy when we get an opportunity to touch anything that is believed to be connected to the maharshi.    

--

Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[S P Narang]

Madam

For another similar article by myself: Panini in Sialkot: See

[CITATION] A DIALECT OF SIALKOT IN PANINI

SP Narang - Studies in Indology: Prof. Rasik Vihari Joshi …, 1988 - Shree Publishing House

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From: 'Dr Madhu Kapoor' via भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत् <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>

To: "bvpari...@googlegroups.com" <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Monday, August 3, 2015 10:44 AM
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Re: Interesting article on Panini and his birthplace by a Pakistani reporter

[S P Narang]

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From: 'S P Narang' via भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत् <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
To: "bvpar...@googlegroups.com" <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, August 10, 2015 4:39 AM

[S P Narang]

Dear Prof. On the same topic:Sialkot: I am writing a paper:

[CITATION] A DIALECT OF SIALKOT IN PANINI

SP Narang - Studies in Indology: Prof. Rasik Vihari Joshi …, 1988 - Shree Publishing House

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From: rniyengar <narayana...@gmail.com>
To: भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत् <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, August 3, 2015 6:19 AM
Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Re: Interesting article on Panini and his birthplace by a Pakistani reporter

[S P Narang]

Ph.D. classes

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam

I took a few classes for Ph.D. at Rashtriya sanskrit Sansthan. It was a wonderful experience. Our students of M.Phil,Ph.D.and UGC do not fine an opportunity to intensive and advanced methodology due to lack of tutuion support. I hereby propose to deliver a few lectures at your institution. It does not require any finance for remuneration , TA etc. because financially I am sound. I may provide TEA to students as well. the only thing I require is a room to sit and teach for the lectures on the subject  above. If interested consult your colleagues, students and all the recipients. Let me know after consultations. Take your time. It may be electronically supported by my sanskrit data Bank both orally and printed-points. It is in the interest of the students and not for me. Regards, spnarang

 

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From: rniyengar <narayana...@gmail.com>
To: भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत् <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, August 3, 2015 6:19 AM

Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Re: Interesting article on Panini and his birthplace by a Pakistani reporter

[S P Narang]

Prof. Kapur, It is a paper not only on theory and sastra, but it is my observations of a number of dialects which are known to me and through Turner and persons of the area of Sialkot. The tradition like that of anaci ca continues even today. A number of references from the competent scholars are the corroborative evidences, I have met U once at IGNCA. Regds, spnarang

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From: 'S P Narang' via भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत् <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>

To: "bvpar...@googlegroups.com" <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>; Mārcis Gasūns <gas...@gmail.com>; Madhav M. Deshpande <mmd...@umich.edu>; Madhavi Narsalay <madhavi...@yahoo.com>; Tripathi Radha Vallabh <rs...@nda.vsnl.net.in>
Sent: Monday, August 10, 2015 6:45 AM