Prep work
There is a lot to be familiar with before embarking on Pāṇinian grammar via the Laghusiddhāntakaumudī.
In her study guide, Michika sets out a range of introductory matter before embarking upon the Laghusiddhāntakaumudī proper, including an introduction to the it-rules, the different types of sūtras found in the Aṣṭādhyāyī, and a section on the paribhāṣā-rules which is otherwise not included in the Laghusiddhāntakaumudī.
There is also the assumption built into Michika's text from the beginning that the Śivasūtrāṇi are already known by the student (since she introduces them in Book 2 of her Enjoyable Sanskrit Grammar series.)
Only once these pieces are in place does Michika venture upon the beginning of the text of the Laghusiddhāntakaumudī itself.
Pratyāhārasūtrāṇi or Śivasūtrāṇi or Māheśvarasūtrāṇi
The groupings of sounds most commonly known as the Śivasūtrāṇi or Māheśvarasūtrāṇi form a foundational element of Pāṇinian grammar.
The following terms are used, moving from the more technical to the more popular.
- akṣarasamāmnāya "traditional recitation of sound-elements"
- varṇasamāmnāya "traditional recitation of sounds"
- pratyāhārasūtrāṇi "(sound) abstraction sūtras"
- śivasūtrāṇi "the Shiva sūtras"
- māheśvarasūtrāṇi "the Maheshvara sūtras"
The Śivasūtrāṇi exhibit a number of characteristics of Pāṇinian grammar:
- Extreme economy
- Heightened phonological awareness
- Use of techniques of abstraction (pratyāhāra, literally "withdrawal")
There are fourteen sūtras, each collecting between one and eight sounds:
- a i u Ṇ
- ṛ ḷ K
- e o Ṅ
- ai au C
- ha ya va ra Ṭ
- la Ṇ
- ña ma ṅa ṇa na M
- jha bha Ñ
- gha ḍha dha Ṣ
- ja ba ga ḍa da Ś
- kha pha cha ṭha tha ca ṭa ta V
- ka pa Y
- śa ṣa sa R
- ha L
The sequences need to be learned by heart to enable ready recognition of the labels used to identify groups of sounds within the grammar.
The capitalised letters are called anubandhas: using these letters, you can refer to a group of sounds in a single syllable by combining the initial sound with the anubandha letter at the end of the sequence. For example, iK is the sequence i u ṛ ḷ (leaving aside the anubandha letters: these are markers, not sounds), and aC is the set of vowels (a i u ṛ ḷ e o ai au).
Cardona 1997 gives a list of the 41 pratyāhāras that Pāṇini uses in the Aṣṭādhyāyi. See the notes on pratyãhāra and the Aṣṭādhyāyī for these combinations.
Note that for the consonants, the inherent vowel -a- is included in the sūtras so that the consonants can be more readily pronounced, but it is only the consonant itself that is relevant for the abstraction.
Note also that for the series of stops produced at the same point of articulation Pāṇini uses the anubandha U which does not appear in the pratyāhārasūtrāṇi. Accordingly, the velar series k kh g gh is referred to as kU, and the palatal series c ch j jh as cU, and so on.