The Ashtadhyayi of Panini

The Ashtadhyayi of Panini is the most important component of Vyakarana. Along with the related texts on Shiksha, Chandas, and Nirukta; it becomes a complete body of knowledge. Panini was a Linguist, Grammarian, Programmer, Sage and Visionary. His magnum opus the Ashtadhyayi circa 600BC - describing the Vyakarana of the Sanskrit language remains till date the most complete and authoritative work in this regard.

येनाक्षर–समाम्नायम् अधिगम्य महेश्वरात् । कृत्स्नं व्याकरणं प्रोक्तं तस्मै पाणिनये नमः ॥ By whom the letters of the alphabet were cognized and collected, as directed by Lord Shiva; the one who spoke upon and elucidated the grammar, to that sage Panini my humble salutation.

वाक्यकारं वररुचिं भाष्यकारं पतञ्जलिम् । पाणिनिं सूत्रकारञ् च प्रणतोऽस्मि मुनित्रयम् ॥ The (vartika) clarifications writer Vararuchi, the great commentator Patanjali, and the original coder Panini, to the trio my grateful appreciation.

Ashtadhyayi = the 8 chapters on Grammar = precise rules to construct VERBS and NOUNS from Roots (Dhatus). It is written as a computer code, consisting of statements, libraries, arrays, variables and constants, function calls, and subroutines