Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence)
by Sarath P. Nath | 2018 | 36,088 words
This page relates ‘The Mahabhashya-dipika’ 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).
6.2 (a). The Mahābhāṣya-dīpikā
[Full title: 6.2. Works of Bhartṛhari, (a): The Mahābhāṣya-dīpikā]
It is evidently known that Bhartṛhari has written a commentary on Mahābhāṣya of Patañjali. Unfortunately only one manuscript of this work is available till now, which has the commentary up to Pāṇini 1-1-55. In the colophon of this manuscript, the name of the commentary is given as Bhartṛhariṭīkā, Mahābhāṣyaṭīkā and Mahābhāṣyadīpikā (Mahābhāṣya, Preface, 1984, p.3). Ashok Aklujkar points out that, early commentators in the grammatical tradition refer to this work as Tripādī, which signifies that the commentary is only up to the third pāda of Aṣṭādhyāyī (2007, p.122).
Kaiyaṭa, in the beginning of his commentary Pradīpa on Mahābhāṣya refers to Dīpikā as:
bhāṣyābdhiḥ kvātigambhīraḥ kvāhaṃ mandamatistathā chātrāṇāmupahāsyatvaṃ yāsyāmi piśunātmanā.
tathāpi haribaddhena sāreṇa granthasetunā kramamāṇaiḥ śanaiḥ pāraṃ tasya prāptāsmi paṅguvat.
—(Introductory verses, 6-7)
These lines throw light to two facts that Kaiyaṭa must have had before him a complete text of Bhartṛhari's Mahābhāṣyadīpikā and the authenticity of the commentary was also unquestionable.