© DrSurabhi Verma

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha

Course ID: HS 1317

INTRODUCTION TO THE METAPHYSICS OF

SANSKRIT LANGUAGE

Course Co-ordinator: Prof. Surabhi Verma

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UNIT 1: N AT U R E O F L A N G U A G E
❖What is Language? Written or Oral?
❖Difference between Bhāṣā, Vāk and Vāṇī
❖Spoken and Compositional language
1. Classification of Indian Knowledge Systems based on Kāvyamīmāmsā of Rājaśekhara
2. The Vaidika Literature
3. India at the time of Rājaśekhara
❖The Knowledge disciplines related with discourse of Language
❖Effect of orality on the Nature of Language
❖The Language of the Universe: Nāda (Resonance)

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INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

18 PRIMARY SCIENCE 64 ALLIED SCIENCES

(Aṣṭādaṣa Vidyāsthānāni) (Catuḥ-ṣaṣṭiḥ kalāḥ)

• The allied sciences were numbered and renumbered with the passage of
time as per the requirements.
• 4 Vedas- Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda and
Atharva-veda • The ideal number which is available to us is 64.

• Few references are listed underneath where we find the number as of more
• 6 Vedāṅgas- Śikṣā, Kalpa, Vyākaraṅa, Chanda,
than 64 also-
Nirukta, Jyotiṣa
1. Samvāyasūtrāṇi- 87
• Purāṇa, Nyāya, Mimāṁsā, Dharmaśāstra
2. Lalitvistara – 86
• Vārtā, Kāmasūtra, Śilpaśāstra, Daṇḍanīti
3. Pañcāla – 104

4. Kalpāntaravācyāni- 72

5. Śukranītisāra – 64

6. Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyana – 64

• In the next coming chart, the enumeration is done as per Kāmasūtra of

Vātsyāyana. 3
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Sr. No. Name of allied sciences Description

1. Gītam Singing
2. Vādyam Playing on musical instruments
3. Nṛtyam Dancing
4. Ālekhyam Painting
5. Viśeṣakacchedyam Trimming of leaves etc., to represent various figures for purpose of wearing on forehead.
6. Taṇdulakusumabalivikārāḥ Arrangement of rice grains and flowers (of different colours) in different ways for purpose of worship.
7. Puṣpāstaraṇam Covering or decorating a house or room with flowers.

8. Daśanavasanāṅgarāgaḥ Applying colours to the teeth, body or clothes.

9. Maṅibhūmikā-karma Construction of floors with gems; mosaic work.

10. Śayanaracanam Making of beds.

11. Udaka-vādyam Playing on water so as to produce sounds of ‘muraja’ (drum), etc.

12. Udakaghātaḥ Striking others with handfuls of water.

13. Citrāśvayogāḥ Causing others, by means of drugs, medicines, invocations, etc.

14. Mālyagrathanavikalpāḥ Stringing of flowers into garlands in various ways.

15. Śekharāpīdya-yojanam Wearing of ‘śekharakas’ and ‘āpīdakas’ two ornaments worn on the head- in their proper places.
16. Nepathyaprayogāḥ Dressing one’self or others.
17. Karṇapatrabhaṅgaḥ Making of ear-ornaments (out of ivory, etc.)
18. Gandhayuktiḥ Preparation of perfumes.
19. Bhūṣaṅayojanam Making of ornaments.
20. Aindrajālayogāḥ Processes of producing illusions.

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21. Prescriptions for becoming stronger, more virile, etc.)
22. Hastalāghavam Readiness of hand, i.e., quickness in doing all things.
23. Vicitraśākayūṣabhakṣyavikārakriyā Preparation of various vegetables, soups and condiments.
24. Pānakarasarāgāsavayojanam Preparation of different kinds of drinks- ‘rasas’, etc.
25. Sūcīvānakarmāṅi Sewing, weaving, knitting, plaiting.
26. Sūtrakrīḍā Playing with strings, i.e., holding a string in the fingers and making it assume the outline of
house, temple, etc.
27. Vīṇādamarukvādyāni Playing on the Vīṇa, the Damaru (a kind of drum) and other musical instruments.
28. Prahelikā Riddles
29. Pratimālā A game; one person recites a ‘śloka’, another follows with one beginning with the last letter of
that sloka and so on.
30. Durvācakayogāḥ Another game; each participator recites ‘ślokas’ bristling with hard syllables.

31. Pustakavācanam Reading of books.

32. Nāṭakākhyāyikā-darśanam Knowledge of dramas and stories.
33. Kāvyasamasyā-pūraṇam Composition of poetry; the last quarter of a ‘śloka’ being given, the composition of first three,
the whole giving a sensible meaning.
34. Paṭṭikāvetravānavikalpāḥ Making of different things from canes and reed.
35. Takṣakarmaṇi Cutting and working in gold, steel, wood, etc.
36. Takṣaṇam Carpentry
37. Vāstuvidyā The science of house; how houses should be built, on what sites, with what materials.
38. Rupyaratnaparīkṣā Testing of precious stones and coins.
39. Dhātuvādaḥ The combination, purification, precipitation, etc., of minerals.
40. Maṇirāga-ākara-jñānam Knowledge of the processes of dyeing crystals and precious stones, and of the location and
working of mines.
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41. Vṛkṣa-āyurveda-yogāḥ Medicine for plants; i.e., knowledge of the processes of making for trees and plants healthy and
sound, for making them abnormally small or big, etc.
42. Meṣakukkuṭalāvaka-yuddha-vidhiḥ Making rams, cocks and ‘lāvakas,’ fight.
43. Śuka-Śārikā-pralāpanam Teaching male and female parrots to speak words.
44. Utsādane saṁvāhane keśamaradane ca kauśalam Proficiency in messaging the head, and the body with hands and feet.
45. Akṣaramuṣṭikākathanam Finding out meaning of groups of letters.
46. Mlecchitavikalpāḥ Varieties of cipher languages; i.e., languages which are unintelligible to all except the initiated.
47. Deśabhāṣā vijñānam Knowledge of the languages of various countries.
48. Puṣpa-śakaṭikā Cart of flowers; i.e., making carts, horses, elephants, etc., of flowers.
49. Nimitta jñānam Knowledge of good and bad causes.
50. Yantra mātṛkā Construction of machines for locomotion.
51. Dhāraṇamātṛkā Science of remembering things/ Holding cloths and other things in hands.
52. Sampāṭhyam A game; one person recites a ‘śloka’, which is unknown to another, who, however, has to repeat it
after him.
53. Mānasī Another game; one person writes a ‘śloka’ with ‘anusvāra’ and ‘visarga’ as they are but with
crosses in place of the other letters. The other player has to write the correct letters in place of
crosses.
54. Kāvyakriyā Composing poems.
55. Abhidhānakośachandovijñānam Knowledge of Lexicons and Metrics.
56. Kriyākalpaḥ ‘Kāvya’ and ‘Alaṁkāra’
57. Chalitakayogāḥ Processes of deception, i.e., disguising the person and voice so as not to be recognised or so as to
pass for another.
58. Vastragopanāni Hiding of dresses; deception as to dress;
59. Dyūtaviśeṣāḥ Varieties of gambling.
60. Ākarṣakrīḍā A particular kind of gambling with dice.
61. Bālakrīḍā Games for children.
62. Vaināyikīnām vidyānām jñānam Knowledge of the sciences and arts which educate a person.
63. Vaijayikīnām vidyānām jñānam Knowledge of the sciences which confer victory.
64. Yyāyāmikīnām vidyānām jnānam Knowledge of the sciences connected with physical exercise; e.g., swimming, wrestling, etc.
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STYLES OF ŚĀSTRA
Sr. No. Style Description
1. Sūtra Statements containing very few words, free from ambiguity, concise, devoid of superfluity,
meaningful and far reaching in its implications.
2. Vṛtti A commentary outlining the substance of a sūtra.
3. Padhatti Discussion of the vṛtti of the sūtra.
4. Bhāṣya A learned commentary on an original work.
5. Samīkṣā A close investigation of deeper meaning of a Bhāṣya.
6. Ṭīkā A simplified gloss or commentary.
7. Pañjikā A running commentary which explains and analyses the difficult words.
8. Kārikā Simplified meaning of a sūtra, can be summarized in a verse is called Kārikā.
9. Vārtika An exposition of the ukta, anukta and durukta of a sūtra is called a Vārtika.

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THANK YOU.
© DrSurabhi Verma