Parvata in VP 2.486-"grandhamAtrE vyvasthitaH"

[DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA]

sAtavAhanAs were encouraging prAkrit upto hAla sAtavAhanA.
One his queens who was a Ceylonese princess made fun of him for his lack
of sanskrit knowledge.(mAM mOdakais[mA+udakaiH] tADaya). Stung to the quick
he wanted to learn sanskrit in a hurry. The pANinian scholar and minister
guNADhya offered to teach him sanskrit along with the grammer in 6 years.
(Usually it takes 12 years). One of the younger ministers by name
sarvavarman said that he can do it within six months. sarvavarman by the
grace of kArtikEya wrote a new vyAkaraNa called kAlApaka vyAkaraNa or
kAtantra. He taught hAla sanskrit within six months they say. In what
measure we do not know but who will dare say that king hasn't learnt it,
when the king decides he has learnt it. As per the bet that was made
earlier guNADhya abjured using the all the civilised languages including
sanskrit and went to forest to compose his magnumopus bRhatkatha in
paizAchi.

The above clearly show the conditions in Andhra were such that the
the phrase "grandhamAtrE vyvasthitaH" applies very nicely to pANinian
grammer. The reason is in the beginning the court language was prAkrit.
Even later when sanskrit was studied it was through kAtantra because "yathA
rAjA tathA prajA" applies.

Let me add one thing the katantra was really a good effort for some time
it was used in almost all parts of India and even now it is used in Bengal.

So a live tradition of pANinian grammer at the time of VP is a
disqualification
for that part of India to be the source of pANinian vyAkaraNa.

regards,

sarma.