The man who finally solved a nearly three millennia-old mathematical problem in 2022, has now written about it in the form of a book.
Rishi Rajpopat, currently Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Macau, finally found an answer to the Sanskrit grammarian Panini’s 4,000-rule system, drawing global praise.
Around 500 BCE, the Indian scholar Pāṇini, who lived in Gandhara which is now a part of modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, wrote a treatise on Sanskrit, the Aṣṭādhyāyī.
He described a kind of language machine: an algebraic system of rules for producing grammatically correct word forms.
“The enormity and elegance of that accomplishment—and the underlying computational methodology—cemented Pāṇini’s place as a founder of linguistics. Even so, centuries of commentators have insisted that there are glitches in the machine’s ability to tackle rule conflict (that is, a situation in which two or more rules are simultaneously applicable) and have responded with complex rules and tools aimed at resolving the issues apparently besetting the ancient system,” Harvard University Press, which has brought out the book, notes in its description.
Rajpopat’s research showed that the rule vipratishedhe param karyam—long understood as “the later rule wins”—actually means the rule applicable in the later part of the grammar should be applied, solving the puzzle.
He has now written about his experience in solving the millennia-old mystery in Panini's Perfect Rule: A Modern Solution to an Ancient Problem in Sanskrit Grammar.
“In one fell swoop, this book renders the overwhelming majority of that work obsolete. Linguist Rishi Rajpopat lays out a novel interpretation of Pāṇini’s grammar, focusing on Pāṇini’s only rule dealing with rule conflict, known as 1.4.2. Pāṇini’s Perfect Rule shows that the Aṣṭādhyāyī indeed functions like a well-oiled machine, capable of handling challenges without any of the complications introduced by later scholars,” the publisher states.
It adds that “Rajpopat thus solves an ancient and important problem in Indology and linguistics that will fascinate anyone interested in how language systems—including those of computer programming—operate”.
“In addition, Pāṇini’s Perfect Rule offers meditations on the history of the early Pāṇinian tradition, its philosophy, the relationship between rule conflict and accentuation, and aspects of theoretical phonology. A nontechnical preface lays out key findings and foregrounds the deep history of Sanskrit scholarship. This volume opens new horizons for the study of Sanskrit, inviting seasoned experts and novices alike to behold its majesty.”