The story of Panini

I found a new application on google play for my android device. The app claimed to help me predict my own future by reading the lines on my palm. It seemed interesting and I downloaded the same. I went through the predictions and wondered how a few lines on the palm could depict someone's destiny. It could have some basis and may be true. I am not going to bore the readers with my opinion about palmistry.
This little app, reminded me of one of the stories/legends that my Sanskrit teacher had narrated to us when we were in class 8.
This story is about Panini. Anyone who has studied even a bit of Sanskrit, would know Panini. For those of you who don't, let me introduce you to Panini. Panini is known as the Father of Sanskrit Grammar, which is known as the Mother of all languages. In short, Panini is the maternal grandfather of all languages. Well, jokes apart, let me tell you his story in my own words.

The story of Panini:

Long ago (around 600-500 BC), there lived a great scholar and astrologer by name Pani, on the banks of the river Indus. By the grace of Lord Shiva, Pani's wife delivered a healthy son. The son came to be known as Panini, the offspring of Pani.
The little boy was very active and was the apple of his parents' eyes. He grew up to be a sweet child whose smile reminded one of the moon on a full moon night.
One day, a great scholar, astrologer and palmist visited Pani. He was a great friend of Pani. Pani and his family treated the great man courteously. He was served the best food and was treated with the best services. After lunch, the great man called the child Panini and asked him to sit with him. Panini readily agreed and sat with the great man.
The great man looked at the right palm of the child. He sat there gazing at the palm for several minutes. The expression on his face changed from that of cheerfulness to that of concern. Looking at this change, Pani inquired the great man about what was bothering him.
The great man looked at Pani with pitiful eyes and said "Oh Pani! My friend! You are such a renowned scholar and people around the world come to you for advice. Alas! Fate has it that this child of yours will remain illiterate. He has no Education Line on his palm."
Pani asked his friend- "Please forgive me. I am not saying this because I doubt your expertise, but would it be possible that you haven't checked my son's palm correctly?"
The great man looked at Pani, whose eyes tried to hold their grief back, and said "My friend! I have checked the boy's palm thoroughly, not once but twice and there is no Education Line here. He is bound to remain illiterate."
Pani could no longer hold his grief. He closed his eyes and muttered under his breath "If the lord wishes it to be so, so be it!"
Panini, who was listening to the conversation, gently asked the great man "Sir, could you please tell me where on my palm would the education line be, if it had been?"
The great man showed the child the location of the education line on his own palm. He felt sympathetic towards the child, who was so well mannered and soft spoken.
The child ran out of the house and returned back in a few minutes. He held out his right palm and asked the great man "Will I be a scholar now? Will I be able to uphold my father's name?"
The great man and Pani looked at the child's hand and were shocked. Blood was oozing out of the palm and where there had to be the education line, there was a deep line which was etched with a sharp stone. The two men had no words.
As he grew up, Panini was educated by his father and Pani was astonished by his son's insatiable quest for knowledge. To attain more knowledge, Panini meditated on Lord Shiva and performed penance for many years. Impressed by the devotion he showed, Lord Shiva appeared before Panini. But Panini was so engrossed in his meditation that he did not notice the Lord's arrival. In order to wake Panini, Shiva sounded his Damaru. The Damaru beats reverberated and Panini woke up from his trance. The sound made by Shiva's Damaru kept resonating in Panini's ears. Panini bowed to the lord and the lord blessed him and disappeared.
Panini is believed to have formulated the rules of Sanskrit morphology, syntax and semantics in fourteen verses, which are believed to be the sounds of Shiva's Damaru, and called them Maheshwara Sutrani.
These Sutras are also known as Aṣṭādhyāyī, meaning eight chapters, the foundational text of the grammatical branch of the Vedanga. 

The End

Note:  You can get more information on Maheshwara Sutras at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva_Sutras
and on Panini at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87ini