Mahabhashya

work by Patanjali

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June 30, 2026

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The Mahabhashya is a significant work by the ancient Indian scholar Patanjali. It is a lengthy commentary, or bhashya, on the grammatical aphorisms of Panini, a foundational text in Sanskrit grammar. In this work, Patanjali defends Panini's work against criticisms by Katyayana, while also refuting some of Panini's own aphorisms. The Mahabhashya is considered a defense of Panini's grammar and a crucial text in the study of linguistics within Indian philosophy.12

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Patanjali
…(separateness); and the second, the Mahabhashya (“Great Commentary”), which is both a defense of the grammarian Panini against his chief critic and detractor Katyayana and a refutation of some of Panini’s aphorisms.
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…(separateness); and the second, the Mahabhashya (“Great Commentary”), which is both a defense of the grammarian Panini against his chief critic and detractor Katyayana and a refutation of some of Panini’s aphorisms.
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India
Literature of India
…Panini was provided by the Mahabhasya of Patanjali, timely because even the non-Indian dynasties of the north and west made extensive use of Sanskrit. Of the sciences, astronomy and medicine were foremost, both reflecting the interchange of ideas with western Asia. Two basic medical treatises, composed by Charaka and Sushruta,…
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…Panini was provided by the Mahabhasya of Patanjali, timely because even the non-Indian dynasties of the north and west made extensive use of Sanskrit. Of the sciences, astronomy and medicine were foremost, both reflecting the interchange of ideas with western Asia. Two basic medical treatises, composed by Charaka and Sushruta,…
Read More