Śākaṭāyana

Shakatayana (; 814–760 BCE) was a Sanskrit grammarian, linguist, and Vedic scholar. He is known for his theory that all nouns are derived from a verbal root which contrasted to grammarian Pāṇini. He also posited that prepositions only have a meaning when attached to nouns or other words. His theories are presented in his work, Śākaṭāyana-śabdānuśāsana, which is not found in its entirety but referenced by other scholars such as Yāska and Pāṇini.

== Early life and background == Details are sparse, however, he is believed to have lived around the 7th or 8th century BCE, the same period as the grammarian Pāṇini. His identity is often confused with other scholars with the same name, however, he is known for his grammatical treatise, Śākaṭāyana-śabdānuśāsana. Given the information available, he was known as a Vedic scholar, linguist, and grammarian.