© 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

1
© DrSurabhi Verma

• Unit 1: Nature of Language

❖ What is Language?

❖ Difference between Bhāṣā, Vāk and Vāṇī

❖ Spoken and Compositional language

❖ The Knowledge disciplines related with discourse of Language

❖ Effect of orality on the Nature of Language

COURSE ❖ The Language of the Universe: Nāda (Resonance)
OUTLINE • Unit 2: Introduction to the components of Sanskrit Language

❖ Physical aspects

1. Sounds (Dhvani)

2. Syllables (akṣara/varṇa)

3. Śabda (word)

4. Pada (morphological unit)

5. Ukti (utterances)

2
© DrSurabhi Verma
❖ Metaphysical aspects

1. Language and Reality (Sattā)

2. Mantrātmaka and prapañcātmaka

3. Language as an ontological category

4. Discourse of language as Cognitive System

5. Intrinsic property of Language

COURSE 6. Verb centred Language: Sanskrit

OUTLINE
7. Special features of Sanskrit language

▪ Metrical (chāndas)

▪ Figurative (alaṃkāra yukta)

▪ Compound (samāsa) and assimilation (sandhiḥ) based

▪ Coded (inflectional- pratyayānta)

▪ Abbreviated (sutra baddha)

▪ Generative (derivational)

▪ Usage based (loka pramāṇa)

3
© DrSurabhi Verma
7. Special features of Sanskrit language
▪ Metrical (chāndas): Sanskrit language is Metrical in
compositions and sometimes in spoken version also.
The sounds and duration of pronunciation makes
difference in metrical composition and spoken
version also.
▪ Figurative (alaṃkāra yukta): The figurative speech
is dominant characteristics of Sanskrit compositions
and it has been prescribed for the loka (common
people) also. This is the main reason that the
prescription of using good language uses the term
‘Vāṇī’. (Vāṇī ekā samaṃkaroti puruṣaṃ yā saṃskṛtā
dhāryate)
▪ Compound (samāsa) and assimilation (sandhiḥ)
based: Sanskrit language presents assimilative and
compound words which gives the language a high
level of Compression. In fact this is an inbuilt
character of all the languages but unfortunately all the
languages do not possess a scholar like Pāṇinī who
can lay down the hidden features of a language to a
rule bound structure.
▪ Coded (inflectional- pratyayānta): Sanskrit
language possess the markers who are added to
create the gender, person or case from noun and
tenses, modes, aspects from verbs. These are known
as pratyaya (inflection).
▪ Abbreviated (sūtra baddha): Indian scholars
preserved the knowledge in oral tradition, so they
gave immense importance to brevity. Thus the
formula structure in Sanskrit became a prominent
characteristics.
▪ Generative (derivational): Pāṇinī Aṣṭādhyāyī
listed 1957 roots from which padas are generated by
putting inflection markers and derviational markers.
▪ Usage based (loka pramāṇa): Pāṇinī’s Aṣṭādhyāyī,
Pātañjala Mahābhāṣya and Vākyapadīyam of
Bhartṛhari provide us abundance of examples where
loka or the general usage is the greatest evidence.
4
© DrSurabhi Verma

M E TA P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S O F S A Ṁ S K Ṛ TA L A N G U A G E
Sr. No. Features Metaphysical aspect Sources

1. Metrical • Melody http://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/rigveda/shakala-

• Beauty in Speech samhita/rigveda-shakala-samhita-mandal-10-sukta-114/
• Creative Literature (Plz see the source from the link given)
2. Figurative • Metaphorical language सुपर्णं विप्रा: कियो िचोविर् एकं सन्तम् बहुधा कल्पयवन्त ।
• Mystical discourse (ऋग्िेद – 10.114.5)
• Sarcasm The learned persons through their praise perceive into
• Behavioral prescription many forms of the bird, who is (only ) one.
3. Compound • Compressed manuscript एक एिाविर् बहुधा सवमद्ध एक: सूयो विश्वम् अनुप्रिूत: ।
and • Dominancy of constituents of एकै िोषा: सिवम् इदं वि िावत एकं िा इदं वि बिूि सिवम् ॥
Assimilative Spoken Language (ऋग्िेद – 8.58.2)
• Uniformity in Spoken and एकै िाविबवहुधा सवमद्ध एक: सूयो विश्वमनुप्रिूत: । एकै िोषा: सिवम्
composition Language इदं वििावत एकं िा इदं विबिूि सिवम् ॥ (ऋग्िेद – 8.58.2)
4. Coded • Adulteration is difficult राम: गच्छवत = गच्छवत राम: ।

5. Abbreviated • Easy to memorize चैतन्यमात्मा । (वििसूत्र)

6. Generative • Forever relevant अवियावन्त्रकी = mechanical engineering

7. Usage Based • Authenticity lies in the Speakers Complaint in all modern Indian languages
5
 6
THANK YOU.
© DrSurabhi Verma