Text 32] Pastimes of Childhood and Youth 217

vyakarana pagaha, nimani pandita tomara ndma
balya-sastre loke tomdra kahe guna-grama

SYNONYMS

vydkarana—grammar; pagdadha—You teach; nimani pandita—Nimai Pandita; tomdra
—Your; n@ma—name; balya-séstre—in grammar which is considered a study for boys;
loke—the people in general; tomdra-~of You; kahe—declare; guina-grdma—very quali-
fied.

TRANSLATION

“| understand that You are a teacher of grammar,’ he said, ‘‘and that Your name
is Nimai Pandita. People speak very highly of Your teaching of beginners’ grammar.

PURPORT

Formerly Sanskrit schools first taught grammar very thoroughly, and this system
continues even now. A student was supposed to study grammar carefully for twelve
years in the beginning of his life, because if one is expert in the grammar of the
Sanskrit language, all the $astras are open to him, $i Caitanya Mahaprabhu was
famous for teaching grammar to students, and therefore Kesava Ka$miri first re-
ferred to His position as a teacher of grammar. He was very proud of his literary
career;he was far above the first lessons of grammar, and so he thought the position
of Nimdi Pandita not at all comparable to his own.

TEXT 32
Siva-aeeg, ath, THis sets |
Ofer Biferw coraia frcwA vei 2 1
vydkaranaynadhye, jani, paddha kaldpa
Sunilunh phankite tomdra Sisyera samlapa
SYNONYMS
vyGkarana-madhye—among grammars; /dni—l understand; paddha—You teach;
kalapa—the Kaldpa-vydkarana, Sunifuh—\ have heard; phéAkite—in deceitful word
jugglery; tomé@ra—Y our; sisyera—of the disciples; sarm/dpa—the specific knowledge.
TRANSLATION

“| understand that You teach Kalapa-vydkarana. | have heard that Your students
are very expert in the word jugglery of this grammar.”
PURPORT

There are many schools of grammar in the Sanskrit language, the most famous
of which are the systems of Panini and the Kalapa and Kaumudi grammars. There
