vyÄkaraṇa paá¸Äha, nimÄñi paṇá¸ita tomÄra nÄma
bÄlya-Å›Ästre loke tomÄra kahe guṇa-grÄma

 vyÄkaraṇa - grammar; paá¸Äha - You teach; nimÄñi paṇá¸ita - NimÄi Paṇá¸ita; tomÄra - Your; nÄma - name; bÄlya-Å›Ästre - in grammar, which is considered a study for boys; loke - the people in general; tomÄra - of You; kahe - declare; guṇa-grÄma - very much qualified.


Text

“I understand that You are a teacher of grammar,†he said, “and that Your name is NimÄi Paṇá¸ita. People speak very highly of Your teaching of beginners’ grammar.

Purport

Formerly Sanskrit schools first taught grammar very thoroughly, and this system continues even now. A student was supposed to study grammar carefully for twelve years in the beginning of his life, because if one is expert in the grammar of the Sanskrit language, all the Å›Ästras are open to him. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was famous for teaching grammar to students, and therefore KeÅ›ava KÄÅ›mÄ«rÄ« first referred to His position as a teacher of grammar. KeÅ›ava KÄÅ›mÄ«rÄ« was very proud of his literary career; he was far above the first lessons of grammar, and so he thought the position of NimÄi Paṇá¸ita not at all comparable to his own.