Bharthari and the Origins of the Philosophy of Grammar

Seminar proposal - Winter Semester 2010

Instructor: Boris Marjanovic Course Level: Undergraduate and Graduate Required Sanskrit Texts: First two chapters of the Vkyapadya and the Paspahnika of Patanjalis Mahbhya. Bhartharis Philosophy of Grammar and its origins: In Bhartharis days, the permeation of the whole culture by Hindu religion reached its peak. It was when the Brhmanical religion of the Vedas surpassed its rivals, primarily the Buddhists. The study of language has traditionally been one of the primary concerns of almost all the school of Indian thought and Linguistic problems were debated and theorized by the main proponents of these schools. In his attempt to synthesize the various views of other schools, Bharthari developed his own school, which will become known as the Philosophy of Grammar or Vykaraa darana. In doing this, he turned to the Vedas and Upaniads. In the g Veda several hymns are devoted to the Vk or Speech and similar verses could be found in the Brhmanas and the Upaniads. The Speech is the creation of Gods which as such permeates all of creation. Bharthari, who followed the lead of Patajali, accepts and further develops this theory. Thus for Bharthari the supreme reality or Brahman is of the nature of Word (abdatattva) which manifests itself as many because of the multitude of its aktis. As the possessor of powers, Brahman is identical with them and yet in the process of manifestation it never loses its oneness. The most important of these powers is klaakti or the power of time. After establishing the metaphysical background for his philosophy, Bharthari goes on to deal with important linguistic problems which will lead him to develop his sphoa theory of language. This theory answers questions such as: what is the meaning bearing linguistic unit and how is the meaning communicated? Description of Seminar Content: This seminar offers an introduction to the Indian Philosophy of Grammar, whose origins are found in Patajalis Mahbhya and fully developed in the works of Bharthari. During the course, well also familiarize ourselves with Abhinavaguptas understanding of language who derived his inspiration from Vkyapadya. After learning about the structure and content of the Vkyapadya and establishing its metaphysical background, the seminar will further provide an outline of the basic doctrines of this system, such as Bhartharis view of the pramas, his theory of language, his understanding of the relationship between the word and its meaning, the theory of sphoa, Bhartharis definition of the sentence, etc. The effort will also be made to connect Philosophy of Grammar to other systems of Indian thought, in particular to the philosophy of Advaita Vednta, Mms, and aivism of Kashmir.

Seminar Requirements: 1) Oral Presentation. Beginning with the 6th week of the seminar (this will dependent on the number of students), each student will be required to prepare oral presentation on the topic decided in the discussion with the instructor. The order of presentations will be determined in the classroom, by the students, so that it best suits their individual needs and other responsibilities. Students will first conduct research, on the chosen subject, using the literature available in the library and/or provided by the instructor. After completing research, students will present their findings to the rest of the class in a clear and structured manner. After presentation, the question and discussion session fill follow. At the end, each student will submit to the instructor the summery of their research in a written form. 2) Attendance and Discussion. As the class will meet only once a week, the regular attendance and preparation will be of crucial importance for the success of the seminar. Students are further expected to become actively involved in the class activities and discussion. 3) Final exam. The final exam will consist of four essay questions. The questions will be based on both lectures and readings. Required Readings: Aklujkar, Ashok. The Philosophy of Bhartharis Trik. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1970. Coward, Harold. Bharthari. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1976. Iyer, K.A.S. Bhatrhari: A Study of the Vkyapadya in Light of the Ancient Commentaries. 2nd ed. Poona: Deccan College, 1992. ________. The Vkyapadya of Bharthari with the Vtti. Poona: Deccan College, 1995. Padoux, Andr. Vc: The Concept of the Word in Selected Hindu Tantras. Delhi: Sri Satguru, 1990. Sadnanda. Vedntasra. Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1949. Shastri, Gaurinath. The Philosophy of Bharthari. Delhi: Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, 199l. Rau, Wilhelm. Bhatrharis Vkyapadya: d. mlakriks / nach d. Hs. Hrsg. u. mit e. pda index. Wiesbaden: Steiner (in Komm.); 1977 Deutsche Morgenlndishe Ges. Studies and Articles Aklujkar, Ashok. Can the Grammarians Dharma be Dharma for all. In the Journal of Indian Philosophy32: pp.687-732. ______________. The Word is the World. In Philosophy East & West volume 51, Number 4, October 2001, pp. 452-473.

Bronkhorst, Johannes. The Peacocks Egg: Bhatrhari on language and Reality. In Philosophy East & West volume 51, Number 4, October 2001, pp. 474-491. __________________. Grammar as the Door to Liberation. In Annals of BORI 76, 1995, pp. 97-106. Kaviraj M.M. Gopinath, The Doctrine of Pratibh in Indian Philosophy. in Selected Writings of M.M. Gopinath Kaviraj. Varanasi: Centenary Celebrations Committee, 1990: 1-45.