Shabdamanidarpanam ( Śabdamaṇidarpaṇam, "The Jewel Mirror of Language"), is a comprehensive treatise on Kannada grammar written by Kēśirāja in 1260 CE.E.P. Rice – pp 111 It is the earliest systematized account of Kannada grammar, and has been regarded as an authority for the literary language since its composition. Kēśirāja draws significantly upon the Kātantra system of Sanskrit grammar, owing to the widespread use of Sanskrit as a language of intellectual life.
The Śabdamaṇidarpaṇa is composed in kanda padya, a meter often employed in Kannada technical literature. Kēśirāja included his own gloss (vṛtti) along with the work.Sastri (1955), p359 Later commentaries were also composed, such as the Sūtrānvayaratnamāle by Liṅgaṇārādhya (16th century CE) and the ṭīke ("commentary") of Niṣṭhūra (or Niṭṭūru) Nañjayya (18th century CE). There also exist modern commentaries, such as T.V. Venkatachalashastry's Darpaṇavivaraṇa. These attest to the work's enduring importance in the Kannada literary tradition.
Mention of early poets The text of Sabdamanidarpanam starts with an invocation of the great Kannada poets of earlier generations who are considered as authorities by Kesiraja, as cited by him.
Grammar topics
Significance of grammar In the very beginning of the Shabdamanidarpanam, in the preface section, Kesiraja explains the significance of Grammar in the context of a language and its learning:
Adjectives In one of the aphorisms (sūtra) of Shabdamanidarpanam, Kesiraja gives a list of forms ending in /-tu/ and /-du/ labelling them as guNavaachi (ಗುಣವಾಚಿ), the adjectives.Word-structure in Dravidian – By R. Śrīhari, B. Ramakrishna Reddy, Dravidian University, pp. 28
Lexicography Shabdamanidarpanam is important from the view of lexicography. An attempt at lexicon-making is provided in several parts of the work. The work has the list of verbal roots and words containing ḷ and ḹ sounds. There is also a chapter called 'prayŌgasāra' where Kesiraja has quoted a number of rare words along with their meanings.Lexicography in India : Proceedings of the First National Conference on Dictionary Making in Indian Languages, By Bal Govind Misra, page 82
Sound forms Articulate sounds
Inarticulate sounds
Notes
References