Bhartrihari's Vakyapadiya and the Philosophy of Language

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The Sage of Sabda

Bhartrihari (c. 450–510 CE) stands as a titan in Indian philosophy, bridging grammar, metaphysics, and linguistics. His magnum opus, Vakyapadiya ("On Sentences and Words"), reformed Indian thought by elevating language (śabda) to a universal principle. Structured in three kāṇḍas (books) and composed in kārikā verses, this discourse argues that reality itself is linguistically constructed. As the Chinese monk Yi Jing noted, Bhartrihari’s work influenced Buddhist logic and Mystical traditions across Asia.

Core Contributions:

1.     Śabdabrahman: Language as the supreme reality.

2.     Sphoṭa Theory: The "bursting forth" of meaning from integral linguistic units.

3.     Vākyavāda: The sentence as the essential unit of communication.

4.     Grammar as Metaphysics: Linguistic categories reflecting universal structures.


I. Śabdabrahman: Language as Universal Principle

The first kāṇḍa (Brahma-kāṇḍa) posits śabdabrahman—endless, all-pervading linguistic consciousness—as the source of origination.

Key Doctrines:

1.     Vivarta (Manifestation):

o    The universe emerges from śabdabrahman like bubbles from water.

o    Objects (artha) are temporal-spatial manifestations of linguistic essence.

"The world turns into meaning through Brahman, whose essence is word." (Vākyapadiya 1.1)

2.     Kālaśakti (Power of Time):

o    Governs six alterations of existence:

§  Jāyate (birth) → Asti (being) → Vipariṇamate (transformation)

§  Vardhate (growth) → Apakṣīyate (decline) → Vināśyati (demolition)

3.     Triadic Nature:

o    Bhoktṛ (experiencer), Bhogya (experienced), Bhoga (experience) are three aspects of one reality.


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