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SOME MERITS OF KATANTRA
Dr. Vrashabh P. Jain
Kātantra is a less known but the shortest grammar of Sanskrit among all the grammars written in Sūtra-style. Sarva Varma is considered to be the author of this treatise. Although the time of Sarva Varma and its composition is not definite, there is ample evidence that puts it even prior to Pāņinian system. The aim of the present Paper is not to decide the date but to deal with its peculiarities. Even then, it will not be irrelevant to throw some light on this point. With regard to the phonetics depicted in kātantra, it is seen that this grammar differs from other grammars of Sanskrit. In Kätantra, the lengthened form of a sound is accepted, while Pāņinian system states it only in the normal grade. Thus, it is clear that the use of had been restricted in the time of Pāṇini because in the Pāņinian system we find the forms only in the uses derived from the root 79. In comparing Kätantra and Pāņini we come to the conclusion that in the time of Katantra there was no restriction on the use of and so it was used in general like other vowels, but later in the time of Pāņini it developed restricted use. Only on account of this, Pāņini bas stated it in the normal grade, and it has now completely lost its vowel nature. Another evidence on the phonetic level, we take the sounds
#EUR which have been mentioned in that order in Kätantra call all these nasalised, while Paninian system mentions them as pure nasals. There is no doubt that a nasalised is a kind of vowel or a quality of vowels as the other grammarians also accept. When we see the contemporary use of sound and compare it to the Pāṇinian, it becomes clear that in the time of Panini it was a vowel, but now it has developed in the form of a consonant. Thust is an example which is indicative of sound shift from vowal to consonant. Vowel
Time
Consonant On comparing of the sounds # 9 # of Katantra and Pāṇini this fact becomes quite evident that these sounds were vowels in the time of Kätantra and they changed into consonants by the time of Panini.
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