The main aim of this book is to show the outstanding achievement of Panini in the field of language and linguistics. Whereas linguistic studies started in today's Europe that is scientific age, here we see that Panini did it many centuries ago. The book in hand stands apart from the rest of the world of grammars for its unique character in the context of Sanskrit language analysis. From the view point of author, language is an integral part of total human behaviour influencing and being influenced by other norms of behaviour. He defines the Sanskrit language both in its structure and use. The rules of grammar are invested with some inherent properties which in fact are derived from the nature of language as a system. The author succinctly difines that the basic unit of description for Panini is sentence, which, however, is recognized as part of a larger unit, the discourse. It is fact that Panini does not talk explicitly of discourse. However, he does refer to element in neighbouring sentence if it is linguistically permits for explication of the structure of the sentence concerned. The author views the Sanskrit language broadly as representation of an abstract system formulated in terms of conceptual relations, established on rational (logical) and/or empirical considerations. Panini's linguistic categories thus corresponed to underlying conceptual relations as far as it could be possible. The author mentions explicity that Panini recognizes constraints of actual linguistic usage on linguistic system. His sense of realism thus keeps him close to the facts of the language. To Panini language is a unified system organized hierarchically. Various levels and sub-levels are intimately inter-related and they inter-act on one another. The author observes in the book that Panini considers the total environment in which language functions a relevant for explication of linguistic facts. He has no compunction in seeking explanations interms of one another. One should not be surprised if Panini accounts for the accent and extra length of the final vowel in a particular sentence in terms of social classes or in reference to the facts of the real world. His statements are at once general and particular and unique in virtue thereof.
