© 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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© 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)

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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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4. Discourse of language as Cognitive System The Cognizer

• From the previous discussion we get three forms of language- Consciousness is

rushing out through
1. Mantrātamaka (Antaḥ Saṃvāda) the means of cognition
i.e. eyes
The object of cognition i.e.
2. Prapañcātmaka (Bahir Saṃvāda) the book
3. Tāttvika (Ontological)
• So if one is talking to oneself, it means that one is not
communicating with oneself rather one is in communion with
Thought: Yes, I listened you
oneself. One is one with oneself. So it’s not a transaction between Thought: Hey Ram, listen,
and now I know that this is
this is written on page 3 of the
two. It’s one; it’s a communion. book. written on page 3 of the book.
Speech
• So language is not communication, it is more communion and
that’s why it gives birth to thought. And this is cognitive system.
Page 3 of the
5. Intrinsic property of Language book
Thought: Hey, Mohan, please
• The intrinsic property of fire is the temperature. Similarly the Thought: ok check on page 2 of the book, I
language has the intrinsic property of language is to successfully have a doubt here.
transmit the meaning of the word to the listener. Speech

• The thought possessed in the mind of the speaker is without

Page 2 of the
sequence (Akrama). When it is conveyed to the listener through book
utterance by the speaker it becomes with sequence (Sakrama).
When the heard thought is understood by the listener, again the
language becomes without sequence (Akrama). Thus language
makes successful completion of the transmission of meaning. Language as Cognitive System
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THANK YOU.
© DrSurabhi Verma