Kasakrtsna
By Kshitish Chandra Chatterjee
Summary
Chatterjee’s article focuses on Kāṣākṛtsna, an obscure figure mentioned in grammatical and philosophical texts. He examines references to Kāṣākṛtsna in the Pāṇinian tradition and in the Mīmāṃsā literature, seeking to determine whether the texts refer to the same person or to two individuals sharing a name. Chatterjee analyses fragments attributed to Kāṣākṛtsna that discuss phonetics and the derivation of certain verbal forms. He compares these with citations by later commentators like Patañjali and Bhartrhari. The article also considers the possibility that Kāṣākṛtsna belonged to a school of grammar distinct from that of Pāṇini. Chatterjee concludes that although the details of Kāṣākṛtsna’s life remain elusive, he represents a strand of linguistic thought that influenced early Sanskrit grammar.
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Conclusion
Chatterjee concludes that even peripheral figures like Kāṣākṛtsna contributed to the richness of Indian linguistic tradition. By piecing together scattered references, scholars can appreciate the diversity of grammatical schools and their debates.