Varadarāja

Varadarāja was a 17th century Sanskrit grammarian. He compiled an abridgement of the work of his master, the "Siddhānta Kaumudī" of Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita, in three versions, referred to as "madhya" "middle", "laghu" "short" and "sāra" "substance, quintessence" versions of the "Siddhāntakaumudī", the latter reducing the number of rules to 723 (out of the full 3,959 of Panini). These are comparatively accessible introductions to the very technical grammar of Panini himself, and the 1849 edition by Ballantyne was important to the understanding of native Indian grammatical tradition in Western scholarship (Panini's grammar was first edited by Otto von Böhtlingk in 1887).

Editions:
*Maṅgala Dharmakīrtti Śrī Anavamadarśī, "Laghu Siddhānta Kaumudi (included in Panini Grammar): Sanskrit by Pandit Varadaraja with Tatwadipika. A Sinhalese Commentary", Colombo: M.J. Rodrigo Vidane Mohandiram (1926)
*Jñānavimala Tiṣya, "Panini Sanskrit Grammar: Maddhya Siddhanta Kaumudi", Panadure: M.H. Salgado 1928.
*G. V. Devasthali, "Sārasiddhāntakaumudī of Varadarāja", University of Poona (1968), review: Rosane Rocher, Journal of the American Oriental Society (1970)
*James R. Ballantyne, "Laghukaumudi of Varadaraja" (1849-52); 2001 reprint: ISBN 8120809165