Panini’s Ashtadyayi is one of the most famous works in Sanskrit, a so-called “linguistic machine” that, through its 4,000 words, allows someone to generate words and grammar. Generations of commentators have tried to figure out exactly how to best interpret the work and explain its various contradictions and overlapping instructions.

Then, in 2022, Rishi Rajpopat, a PhD student at Cambridge, said he’d figured out how to unravel Panini’s work to create a cohesive set of rules–and potentially wiped away centuries of commentary. The announcement made headlines (and led to some grumbling among other Sanskrit professors). That work is now a book—Panini's Perfect Rule: A Modern Solution to an Ancient Problem in Sanskrit Grammar (Harvard UP, 2025)—and Rishi joins us today to talk about it.

Rishi Rajpopat is Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Macau. His research on Pāṇini’s grammar has been covered by the BBC, Daily Mail, The Telegraph, the Times of India, The Hindu, and other global news outlets.

You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Panini’s Perfect Rule. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia.
Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory