RAS question
Assertion (A): Panini's Ashtadhyayi is considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of linguistics. Reason (R): The Ashtadhyayi contains 3,959 sutras (rules) that describe the grammar of Sanskrit with mathematical precision using a generative rule system.
Correct answer: (A) Both A and R are correct, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Panini's Ashtadhyayi is considered a major achievement in linguistics because its 3,959 sutras describe Sanskrit grammar through a concise, generative rule system marked by mathematical precision.
Explanation
Both the assertion and the reason are correct, and the reason explains the assertion. Ashtadhyayi means "eight chapters", and its 3,959 sutras are arranged across those chapters. It is Panini's treatise on Sanskrit grammar, and it set the linguistic standards for Classical Sanskrit. The work is both descriptive and generative: instead of merely listing usages, it uses abstract and concise rules to analyse correct Sanskrit forms and generate new ones. This rule-based precision is why the text is regarded as a landmark in the history of linguistics.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) This option wrongly treats the reason as unrelated to the assertion, although the 3,959 sutras and their concise, generative rule system are the basis of Ashtadhyayi's linguistic importance.
- (C) The reason is correct: Ashtadhyayi contains 3,959 sutras, and its grammar both describes Sanskrit forms and provides rules for generating new ones.
- (D) The assertion is correct: Ashtadhyayi is a foundational work of Sanskrit grammar, and its role in setting the linguistic standards for Classical Sanskrit makes it a landmark in the history of linguistics.
Concept
This question tests ancient India's intellectual traditions, especially grammar and linguistics as formal systems of knowledge. RAS often asks assertion-reason questions of this kind because they test not only a text's name and date, but also the features that explain its historical importance.