Shaunaka (a patronym of Shunaka "little dog", the name of a Rishi) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the Rigveda-Pratishakya, the Bṛihad-devatā, the Caraṇa-vyūha and other works. He is claimed as the teacher of Katyayana and especially of Ashvalayana, and is said to have united the Bashkala and Shakala Shakhas of the Rigveda. In legend, he is sometimes identified with Gritsamada, a Vedic Rishi. According to the Vishnu Purana, Shaunaka was the son of Gritsamada, and invented the system of the four Hindu castes.

References

• Monier-Williams