Kashika - A Commentary on Panini's Grammar (Set of 10 Volumes)

Introducing the All Volume of the Kasikavrtti provides me with great pleasure and a sense of academic achievement. Dr. Jaya Shankar Lal Tripathi a senior colleague and Reader and Dr. Sudhakar Malaviya, the Senior Research Assistant in the Department of Sanskrit have undertaken the publication of the renowned Vrtti on Paninian Astadhyayi by Vamana and Jayaditya along with the two well-known commentaries Nyasa (Kasikavivaranapanjika) by Jinendrabuddhi and Padamanjari by Haradatta Misra. I congratulate them for undertaking such an ambitious project which, when completed, will meet a long-felt need of providing a thoroughly dependable edition of the basic texts of Astadhyayi and kasika along with the two most important commentaries.

In addition to the meticulous care taken by the editors in printing the text as flawlessly as possible, they have provided useful critical notes and references whenever necessary and extensive indices to render the edition almost indispensable for the students following the Sutra-Vrtti-Bhasya mode of grammatical study in particular and researchers in general. Dr. Tripathi has also added a Hindi rendering of the Vrtti which happens to be a pioneering effort. Translation of Sastras, especially of one like the Vyakarana where extreme precision is truly the soul of style, is a difficult and different job. I am happy to note that Dr. Tripathi with his firm grounding in the Sastra has given an exposition which, apart from being faithful to the text, has done full justice to the purport as well.

Publication of the Kasika as planned is a stupendous work and the learned editors happen to be ideally qualified to fulfil the same. While congratulating both of them, I only hope and pray that they succeed in bringing out all ten volumes as early as possible. I am sure that the entire Sanskritic world will welcome the grand scholarly venture.