Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence)
by Sarath P. Nath | 2018 | 36,088 words
This page relates ‘The Philosophy of Language’ of the study on Vakyapadiya by Bhartrhari and his treatment of the Concept of Sentence in Language. Bhartrhari was a great grammarian and philosopher who explored the depth and breadth of Sanskrit grammar. These pages analyse the concepts and discussions on sentence and sentence-meaning presented in the Vakyapadiya, against the different systems of knowledge prevalent in ancient India (such as Mimamsa, Nyaya and Vyakarana).
2. The Philosophy of Language
In India, the study of language has never been the monopoly of the grammarians or the rhetoricians. Almost all schools of thoughts have given emphasis to the fundamental problems of verbal communication. The earlier references of linguistic thoughts in India are glimpsed in the Vedas and Upaniṣads. The Vedic seers praised language as a powerful deity, known as Vāk, who bestows all the favours to its devotees. In Ṛgveda, a complete sūkta in the glorification of Vāk can be found. Even more examples can be cited from Ṛgveda which shows the prominence of Vāk. It states that those who do not understand the real nature of Vāk, cannot see language, even when they are seeing and cannot hear it, even when they are hearing.
The Vāk unfolds herself only to those, who understand the essence of speech.
uta tvaḥ paśyanna dadarśa vācam
uta tvaḥ śṛṇvanna śṛṇotyenām
uto tvasmai tanvaṃ visasre
jāyeva patya uśatī suvāsāḥ. (10.71.4)
The seers of Ṛgveda praise the speech as the great deity (Mahādeva), who possesses himself in humans.
catvāri śṛṅgā trayo asya pādā dve śīrṣe saptahastāso asya
tridhā baddho vṛṣabho roravīti maho devo martyāƒ āviveśa. (4.58.3).
Apart from the Vedic passages, three among the six Vedāṅgas are directly concerned with language viz. Vyākaraṇa (Grammar), Nirukta (Etymology) and Śikṣā (Phonetics). This indicates the prominence of linguistic study in the Vedic ages.
The study of linguistic aspects has been emphasised in all systems of Indian philosophy. The Schools of Mīmāṃsā and Vyākaraṇa have contributed much in this regard. Pūrvamīmāṃsā is also known as Vākyaśāstra, which is devoted in interpreting sentences, either Vedic or ordinary. The Nyāya system, known as Pramāṇaśāstra, also discusses the basic linguistic problems. Though the School of Vyākaraṇa do not possess the status of darśana or philosophy, the ancient grammarians were interested in the linguistic and philosphical analysis of speech and they claim the status of an independent darśana.