© 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

• Unit 3: The Discourse of śabda and artha

❖ Signifier (vācaka), signified (vācya) and the meaning (vācyārtha)
❖ The relationship of śabda and artha and the question of nitya (indestructible)
❖ Vāk and its four levels of manifestation
❖ The three types of meaning (artha)
❖ The two possibilities of getting meaning of utterances

COURSE
❖ The requirements for constructing meaning of utterances
• Unit 4: The Science of Mantra
OUTLINE ❖ Mantra: meaning and dimensions
❖ The Accents in Vaidika mantra
❖ The Purpose of Mantra
❖ Relation between mantra and spanda
❖ Autonomous spontaneous mantra (ajāpajāpa)

4
© DrSurabhi Verma

• Study of Language as an Ontological System

1. The Energy and Consciousness in Kashmir Śaiva Darśana

2. Introduction to the Kashmir Śaiva Darśana – Background and Literature

3. The Ontology (Tattva-mīmāṁsā) of Kashmir Śaiva Darśana

4. The Epistemology (Pramāṇa-mīmāṁsā) of Kashmir Śaiva Darśana

5. The Metaphysics (Śṛṣṭi Prakriyā) in Kashmir Śaiva Darśana

COURSE 6. The Manifestation Process - Subjective and Objective Manifestation

OUTLINE 7. The encapsulation and limitation of energy

8. The Cognitive Process

9. The Cognitive Triad

10.The Concept of Time and Space

11.Manifestation of sound energy as potencies in relation to ontological categories

12.The Transposition Effect during Genesis of Vāk

13.The rectification (purification) in reversal

5
© DrSurabhi Verma

UNIT 5: THE CONCEPTION OF

LANGUAGE IN INDIAN KNOWLEDGE
SYSTEMS
❖The Oral Culture
❖The Language is communion with Self
❖Centrality of Thought
❖The Language as Primary Science
❖Evolution till Modern Indian Languages from Sanskrit
❖Language and Upanishads
❖Language and Vedas
❖Summary
❖Language as the Grammar of Reality

6
 7
UNIT -5
© DrSurabhi Verma
© DrSurabhi Verma

The Oral Culture The Language is communion with Self

• The Indian Intellectual Tradition is Speech dominant tradition • The Language is not just a means of communication rather it is
which is oral version of Language. communion with Self because at the peak level there is none other
than oneself.
• The Western discourse of language is dominant of the scriptural
version which is the written expression only. • Consciousness resides in its own form possessing rest of all as its
own extension at the ultimate level.
• Indian Tradition has two forms-
• The phonemic energies in mantrātmaka form make resonance with
• 1. Learned- possess the textual richness in oral and written both
oneself.
forms.
• Language should not be seen as a physical entity only, it surpasses
• 2. Popular-possess the oral tradition of narration (Katha
that level.
pravacana paramparā)
• The Cosmic language denotes the vibrational state where pulsation
• Indian Knowledge Tradition is cumulative, comprehensive,
to manifest the pre-existing entities starts.
ancient and continuous.
• This rhythmic pattern of manifestation is nominated as a symbol
• Knowledge is central to Indian ethos.
which is Auṁ.
• Indian Intellectual Tradition prescribes three paths of
• Silence is more audible than a language. To be with oneself, we need
deliverance- 1. Jñāna-Knowledge 2. Karma- Actions 3. Bhakti-
to shut the senses, go inward and then access the knowledge. At deep
Devotion
meditative state, we vibrate with the vibrations of Consciousness.
• Authority lies in usage (loka pramāṇa) in Indian Intellectual
• Unheard melody of cosmos is also a Language, present in us also but
Tradition.
it is felt sometimes. 8
© DrSurabhi Verma
Centrality of Thought
• Indian Knowledge Tradition has the centrality of thought.
• Indian Knowledge Tradition explains synthesizing thought
moving towards transcendental state. Indian tradition
knows the peak of conflicts i.e. human against oneself
while the western thinking is focused on the conflicts of
like- Man Vs God, Man Vs Nature, Man vs Man, Man Vs
Women etc.
• Indian Knowledge Tradition has large body of
compositional literature which requires interpretation and
understanding.
• The preservation of Knowledge is done in the minds of
trained disciples, so the different permutations of the texts
were passed down.
• In Indian Knowledge Tradition Knowledge is the greatest
purifier and in Western understanding Knowledge is
Power.
• Indian mind constructs the reality, it does not measure the
reality.
The Language as Primary Science
• Indian Intellectual Tradition is homogenous and continuous.
• The texts of Indian Knowledge systems are-
1. primary
2. secondary
3. commentary
• Indian Intellectual Tradition is focused on the discourse/ analysis of
language and this discourse is inclusive i.e. it deals with sounds,
phonemes, syllables, words, sentences, morphological and inflectional
constructs along with metaphysical understanding.
• Indian Knowledge Tradition starts with multiplicity and ends in single
explanatory principle (advaita); and the same is reflected in discourse
of language also i.e. multiplicity of physical aspects converse at single
metaphysical entity of Śabda Brahma.
• “The World is the construct of word.” – Bhartṛhari (Vākyapadiyam),
and there are two types of worlds- one which gets manifested from
Ultimate reality and the second which we create in our own mind.
• Western Linguistics studies only Vaikharī Vāk while Indian Linguistics
deals with Parā, Paśyantī, Madhyamā and Vaikharī-all the levels.
9
 10
THANK YOU.
© DrSurabhi Verma