Dharmakirti's Rupavatara: A Critical Study

Book Details

• Publisher: Sri Satguru Publications

• Author: K. S. Lalithambal

• Language: English

• Edition: 1995

• Pages: 235

• Cover: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 23 cm × 15 cm

• Weight: 360 gm

• ISBN: 9788170304371

About the Book

Rupavatara – A Critical Study is a significant academic contribution that revisits the foundational work of Dharmakirti, a Buddhist grammarian credited with remoulding Panini’s terse sutra-based grammar into an accessible and pedagogically effective style known as Prakriya. This book offers a detailed, critical analysis of Rupavatara—the first such work to adopt this method—aiming to make Panini’s complex Ashtadhyayi understandable to grammar students.

Key Highlights:

• Historical Context & Importance
  Explores how Dharmakirti's Rupavatara revitalized Panini's grammatical tradition and laid the groundwork for later works like Siddhantakaumudi by Bhattoji Dikshita.

• Scholarly Structure
  Divided into three detailed parts:

  • Part I: General – Introduces Dharmakirti and the origin, content, and uniqueness of Rupavatara.

  • Part II: Analytical Study – Critically analyzes the grammar rules, interpretations, Varttikas, and textual variations.

  • Part III: Observations – Compares Rupavatara with major works like Kasika and Siddhantakaumudi, and concludes with an overall evaluation.

• Appendices
  Includes valuable lists of rules from the Ashtadhyayi that are either interpreted or referenced in Rupavatara, offering a handy guide for comparative grammar studies.

Foreword Summary

The book re-establishes the relevance of Panini’s grammatical tradition through the Prakriya approach. It praises the author's meticulous study, especially the comparisons with other classical grammatical texts, and confirms the work as an indispensable resource for students and scholars of Sanskrit grammar.

Preface Insight

Dr. K. S. Lalithambal presents this book as an outcome of her doctoral thesis, conducted at the University of Kerala. She acknowledges Rupavatara not just as an early educational grammar but as a revolutionary shift in grammatical methodology that continues to influence Sanskrit pedagogy.

Ideal For:

• Students of Sanskrit grammar

• Researchers of Paninian tradition

• Linguists and Indologists

• Libraries and universities focused on Indian classical studies