© 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: 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)

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❖ 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)

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• 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)

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• 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

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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

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EVOLUTION TILL MODERN INDIAN

LANGUAGES FROM SANSKRIT

• First • Second • Third Modern

extension extension extension Apabhra
Sanskrit Pāli Prākṛta Indian
ṁśa
Languages

• In 5th century, Sanskrit term was used to address Vedic Language.

• Pāṇini and Patañjali have not used the term ‘Sanskrit’ in their compositions to address the subject matter of ‘conception of
language’, though their composed texts are in the language Sanskrit.
• The term ‘Pāli’ comes from the term ‘Palli’ which means ‘market’. When Buddha tried to interact the people there, he used the
language of market area. His disciples took down the notes and that literature is available to us in the language popularly known
as ‘Pāli’.
• The second extension is ‘Prākṛta’. Each language has two dimensions- one is Saṁskṛta – the standardized one and Prākṛta- the
natural one. Prākṛta is used in Jain texts.
• Modern Indian languages possess the literature from 11th to 14th century onwards. They possess the vocabulary of Sanskrit words
in tatsama and tadbhava forms. They are the Apabhraṁśa of Sanskrit.

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L A N G U A G E A N D U PA N I S H A D S
• Parā Vāk represents the determination of will, Paśyantī represents what to say, madhyamā is the
collective air at the base to say and Vaikharī is expressed or uttered word.
• All the senses including Speech depends on the Vital air (Prāṇa) or we can say that Prāṇa is the
substratum of all.
• As per Māṇdūkyopaniṣad, at wakened state we are Bahiṣ-prajña i.e. senses are directed outside. In
dream speech dissolves in the breath (Antah-prajña), senses are introverted or we can say we possess
involuted cognitive apparatus in dream.
• In western tradition, Consciousness is a faculty of mind but in Indian knowledge tradition
Consciousness is a faculty of Self.

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LANGUAGE AND VEDAS

• The devī sūktam or the Vāk Sūktam occurs in the 10th manḍala of Ṛgveda Saṁhitā as Sūktam
number 125. The seer of the mantra is Vāk , the daughter of Ṛṣi Ambhṛṇā, resulting in a complete
name Vagambhṛṇī. The devatā is also Vagambhṛṇī, meaning that the seer completely identifies
with the seen in this sūktam.
• The Ṛṣika contemplates on the Self which can also be interpreted as Para-vāk/Aham/ ‘a’–kāra
(anuttara) as per the Kashmir Saiva Darśana, and on its creative powers who joyfully proclaims
the verses in praise of Self (Ātmastuti).
• Thus, the discourse of language in Indian Intellectual tradition starts with Ṛgveda itself.

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THANK YOU.
© DrSurabhi Verma