Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence)
by Sarath P. Nath | 2018 | 36,088 words
This page relates 鈥楾he Concept of Sentence-Meaning (introduction)鈥� 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).
5. The Concept of Sentence-Meaning (introduction)
Almost all Indian schools of thought have given primacy to the process of understanding the sentence-meaning, which is known as ' 艣腻产诲补产辞诲丑补' in their philosophies. 艢腻产诲补产辞诲丑补 can be simply defined as the cognition of the meaning of a sentence. A sentence is composed of words; whether their existence is considered real as in the case of logicians, 惭墨尘腻峁僺补办补蝉 and others or mythical as in the case of grammarians. It is already known that words have potentiality to express definite meanings. The relation between these words that binds them to form a single sentence is the syntactical relation. Various philosophers have explored this syntactical relationship between the words in a sentence which forms various theories of 艣腻产诲补产辞诲丑补 or verbal import (V S Rao, 1969, p.1).
The eight views on sentence, which are ascribed to various preceptors, follow different views on 艣腻产诲补产辞诲丑补.
In 狈测腻测补产辞诲丑颈苍墨, which is a commentary on 罢补谤办补蝉补峁単谤补丑补, 艣腻产诲补产辞诲丑补 is defined as
"padaj帽膩nakara峁嘺ka峁� j帽膩nam"
鈥�(1971, p.39).
V S Rao translates this as:
"艣腻产诲补产辞诲丑补 is the cognition effected by the efficient instrumentality of the cognition of words"
鈥�(1969, p.2).
In 狈测腻测补蝉颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补尘耻办迟腻惫补濒墨, the 艢补产诲补办丑补峁囜笉补 begins with the verse:
padaj帽膩na峁� tu 办补谤补峁嘺峁� 诲惫腻谤补峁� tatra pad膩rthadh墨岣�
艣腻产诲补产辞诲丑补岣� 辫丑补濒补峁� tatra 艣aktidh墨岣� sahak膩ri峁嚹�.
鈥�(狈测腻测补蝉颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补尘耻办迟腻惫补濒墨 4.81)
This also gives the same idea that the cognition of the meaning of a sentence is caused by the cognition of the individual word-meanings in it. Hence to cognize the meaning of a sentence, word meanings are to be cognized. Thus, the concept of sentence-meaning among these eight different views on sentence, can be ascribed into six various views.