The Philosophy of Word and Meaning- Some Indian Approaches with Special Reference to The Philosophy of Bhartrhari (An Old and Rare Book)

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The present work. The Philosophy of Word and Meaning, is the second in the Studies Series.

The writer feels it his solemn duty to recall to-day the names of two illustrious teachers at whose feet he had the rare privilege of studying some of the cardinal texts on the subject: the late Mahamahopadhyāya Phanibhusan Tarka- vagisa and the late Mahāmahopadhyāya Haranchandra Sastri. The latter, in particular, initiated him into the traditions of Sanskrit scholarship in Paninian Philosophy which have been handed down to this day from the time of the great Nägeśabhatta. The impetus to the writing of this book came from Mahāmahopadhyaya Dr Gopinath Kaviraj, MA DIET, whose affectionate encouragement and abiding interest in the progress of the work have placed the author under a deep debt of gratitude. The author also acknowledges his profound indebtedness to Professor Satkari Mookerjee, M.4., PH.D.. Director, Nava Nalanda Mahāvıhāra, under whose able and inspiring guidance the work was written.

The writer takes this opportunity of expressing his sin- cere gratitude to his much-esteemed colleague, Professor Taraknath Sen, M.A., of Presidency College, Calcutta, for having seen the work through. It is Professor Sen's assistance and encouragement that have made it possible for the writer to bring out the book in the present form. He is also indebted to Professors Govindagopal Mukherji, M.A., D PHIL Sankhyatirtha, Sisirkumar Mitra, M. A., LL.B., D.PHIL.. and Gopikamohan Bhattacharyya, M.A.. Nyayatirtha, for reading the proofs and taking a keen interest in the publication.

The author is also thankful to Sri Siberia Guha of the Sree Saraswaty Press, Ltd, for the kind interest he has taken in the printing of this book.

INDIAN grammarians produced not only a most scientific system on etymology and semantics but also a remarkable philosophy of word and meaning. The Mahabhaşya of Patanjali (middle of the 2nd century B.C.) contains quite a number of passages in which the discerning mind notices the germs of philosophical speculations and which may very well serve as the background of a regular system of philosophy. Patanjali, however, is by no means the first to incorporate matter of this nature in a grammatical work. In fact, we have it on his authority that there was an ancient treatise named Samgraha, in which might be found philosophical dissertations on the nature of word: whether word is an eternal or ephemeral entity. Kaiyata in his Pradipa, a commentary on the Mahābhāşya, describes Samgraha as an important work, and Nageśa in his super- commentary, the Uddyota, refers to it as a work written by Vyādi in one hundred thousand verses. In his commentary on the Vakyapadiya of Bharthari Punyaraja, whose date is yet uncertain, not only mentions Samgraha as a work containing a hundred thousand verses, but actually quotes three verses from the lost treatise. Bhartṛhari in his Vakyapadiya gives us an account of how the work came to be neglected and the source of grammatical study was dried up.