A . Background to the study of vAkyapaDiyam as a book of Paninian (VyaakaraNa) system of thought:

1. ashTAdhyAyI , cause of its fame as ‘an intellectual monument’:
2. Pre-modern fame; modern fame after the advent of linguistics:

Use of concepts of  s’ikshaa, ashTAdhyAyI, etc. in linguistics for a universalist study of ‘language’ as a phenomenon, in studying general features of language; Application of Sandhi, etc. to different languages beyond Samskrit

2. As a marvel of grammaticography (grammar writing methodology):

Techne Grammatike to linguistics brings the west towards vyaakaraNa

Noam Chomsky, TG Grammar: Rule order, Generative and Transformational rules and Lexicon; Comparison with Panini’s rules, rule application order for siddhi (generation?); dhaatupaaTha, gaNapaaTha, their comparison with Lexicon

Fillmore’s Case Grammar; Panini’s kAraka system; Kripasky and Staal: Comparison with Panini’s system of sthaani-vibhakti-kAraka-kArakArtha

Formal systems, context-sensitive grammars, etc; new understanding about ashTAdhyAyI; computational lingistics and newer understanding of ashTAdhyAyI

II. Fame of Bhartrihari and his Vakyapadiyam, independent of ashTAdhyAyI’s fame:

• Ferdenand De Sassaure, influence of Panini and Bhartrihari on him
• Sphota and its fame in modern world as Bhartrihari’s own theory
• Recognition of the influence of Bhartrihari on Dhvani of Anandavardhana and Abhinavagupta’s thought in all the areas of his versatility (including Tantra)

III. Connections between Vakyapadiyam and Ashtadhyayi:

• Division of Paniniyan tradition into prakriyA (derivational) and aarthika (semantic) books: mahAbhAshya as the combination of the two; separation of the two into grammar and philosophy (spirituality / metaphysics / Vedanta of the grammarians)
• Bhartrihari’s own assertion of the inseparability, missing the attention of scholars in both traditional and modern studies; Bhartrihari’s own narration of the lineage of his book from sangraha; mahAbhAshya as the sutra by sutra application of the ‘philosophy’ (discipline – specific logical paths) his book as extraction, ’preservation’ and exposition of the ‘philosophy’ (discipline – specific logical paths) breaking the sutra-wise expression of the same in mahAbhAshya
• (Nagaraj Paturi’s) proofs for the inseparability: samarthah padavidhih; explanation for nirdhAraNa as apAdAna, etc.
• Search for ‘theoretical foundations’ of ashTAdhyAyI; grammar of a specific language or application of universally applicable theory of language? Kripasky and Staal: claims indicating an underlying theory – Cardona’s contradiction; (Nagaraj Paturi’s) ‘discovery’ of the ‘theoretical foundations’ of ashTAdhyAyI in vAkyapadIyam or (Nagaraj Paturi’s) rediscovery of vAkyapadIyam as the book of ‘theoretical foundations’ of ashTAdhyAyI
• (Nagaraj Paturi’s) Chomskian explanation for the relation between of ashTAdhyAyI in vAkyapadIyam as continuation of previously identified parallels between AA and Chomsky;

Chomskian adequacies: vAkyapaDiyam as the explanatory theory behind the observational and descriptive work of ashTAdhyAyI

Rationalist / naturalist epistemology and LAD in vAkyapadIyam; pratibhA (innate ‘creativity’) of VP and Chomsky’s ideas; pratibhA-bhAvanA-Agama relation in vAkyapadIyam; itikartavyatA of mImAmsakas, Hari’s rationalist twist (2-146 to 2-152)

B. Paniniyan (Vyakarana) system of thought as in vAkyapadIyam:

I. Introduction to vAkyapadIyam, its structure and organization:The three kAnDas and their interconnection: Later kAnDas as detailing of the earlier ones

II. vyAkaraNa (VP) thought model-1:

Positions of vAkyapadIyam vis-à-vis nyAya – mImAmsA on the one hand and Vedanta on the other

• s’abda – artha relation: Various positions
• abhihitAnvaya – anvitAbhidhAna of mImAmsA: Position of VP
• nityatva and anityatva of s’abda
• vis-à-vis Vedanta: Asannam brahmaNas tatra

III. vyAkaraNa (VP) thought model -2

vAkyapadIyam on its own:

• vAkyArtha as the ultimate reality: pada-varNa, etc. as the concepts for convenience of understanding; prakriti-pratyaya division as the concepts for analytical (grammarian’s ) vyAkraNa (vivichyapradars’ana) convenience, vyavahArah padAs’rayah, that’s why AA generates padas
• Various understandings of ‘sentence – meaning’ (2-116 to 2-145)
• sampratyayArtha/bauddhaartha (concept / cognitive meaning) and bAhyArtha (entity) division of bAhyArtha (entity) into sadartha (actual / real) and asadartha (imagined / imaginary) 2-441
• Cognitive processes of conceiving reality as (a) whole (s) and parts, cognitive process of division of (external) ‘reality’ into entities and superimposition of concepts onto entities
• Theories of iconicity (form-meaning inseparability) ‘abhijalpam’  (2-127) and the arbitrary relationship between form and meaning (2-428 -436 etc.)
• ApoddhAra (splitting at various levels), anvayavyatireka analysis technique of words
• Tools of comprehension: 24 nyAyas (2-77 -83): prasanga etc. More nyAyas (2-84-87): prasajyapratishEdha, paryudAsa, gauNa, vyApti, guru-laghu, angAngi, bahudhAvikalpa, niyama, yogyatA, bheda, padArthavibhAga
• Divisions of the signified: avaAntara vAkya (2-76), dhAtvartha vyApAra-phala, etc
• PadakANDa: jAti, dravya, etc. contrast with nyAya-vais’Eshika
• SAdhana: kAraka