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Talk:Vyākaraṇa

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Vyākaraṇa literally means ‘a science that makes language more clear,’ ‘grammar’.

Vyākaraṇa or grammar is one of the six Vedāṅgas or subsidiaries of the Veda. It is described as the face or the mouth of the Vedapuruṣa, the Veda personified as the cosmic being.

Vyākaraṇa, as per Ṛgveda[edit]

Some scholars feel that there is a clear reference of vyākaraṇa in the Ṛgvedic mantra[1] which compares it to a vṛṣabha or a bull. It's various limbs are:

  1. Nāma - noun
  2. Ākhyāta - verb
  3. Upasarga - prefix
  4. etc.

However others do not agree with this view. Another mantra of the Ṛgveda[2] praises vyākaraṇa since it helps one to understand the purport of the Vedas correctly.

Vyākaraṇa, as per Gopatha Brāhmaṇa[edit]

The Gopatha Brāhmaṇa[3] of the Atharvaveda mentions most of the technical terms commonly used in Sanskrit grammar.

Vyākaraṇa, as per Vararuci[edit]

Vararuci[4] has delineated five uses of grammar. They are:

  1. Rakṣā - protection of the Vedas
  2. Ñhā - guessing the correct meaning of the Vedic sentences, especially those concerned with yāgas or sacrifices
  3. Āgama - Vedic statements supporting the study of grammar
  4. Laghu - suggesting an easy way of attaining our wishes by understanding the Vedas properly
  5. Asandeha - clearing the doubts of the Vedic sentences

Vyākaraṇa as per Taittiriya Samhitā[edit]

Which exactly is the original vyākaraṇa considered by the Vedāṅga is difficult to say. Though an Aindra-vyākarana is alluded in the Taittiriya Samhitā[5] as a very ancient work of grammar, it is not available now in any form. Among the extant vyākaraṇas, Pāṇini’s Astādhyāyi is the earliest.[6] However, it refers to several grammarians of the earlier period. Some of them are:

  1. Āpiśalī[7]
  2. Bhāradvāja[8]
  3. Cākravarmaṇa[9]
  4. Gālava[10]
  5. Gārgya[11]
  6. Śākalya[12]
  7. Śākaṭāyana[13]
  8. Sphotāyana[14]

For all practical purposes, the Astādhyāyi of Pāṇini may be taken as the Vedāṅga-vyākaraṇa.

Works on Vyākaraṇa[edit]

The Astādhyāyi deals with both Vedic Sanskrit and classical Sanskrit. This work has several commentaries. The Mahābhāsya of Patañjali[15] is the most celebrated of them all. The Vārttika of Kātyāyana which is incomplete, is another well-known work. The Kāśikā-vṛtti of Vāmana and Jayāditya[16] is a brief but complete commentary on Pāṇini. Another well-known work which is extremely popular even now is the Siddhāntakaumudi of Bhaṭṭoji Dikṣita.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

  1. The Mugdhabodha of Bopadeva[17]
  2. The Supadmavyākarana of Padmanābha[18]
  3. Sārasvata-vyākarana of Anubhutisvarupa[19]

Famous Schools for Vyākaraṇa[edit]

In the post-Pāṇini period, several schools of grammar evolved, based upon some important basic works. Six of them may be mentioned here:

  1. The Kātantra school of Sarvavarma[20]
  2. The Cāndra-Vyākaraṇa school of Candra-gomiya[21]
  3. The Jainendra Vyākaraṇa school of Devanandin[22]
  4. The Śākatāyana Vyākaraṇa school of Pālyakīrti[23]
  5. The Siddha Hemacandra school or Haima Vyākaraṇa school of Hemacandrasuri[24]
  6. The Sarasvatī-kaṇṭhā- bharaṇa school of the Paramāra king Bhoja[25]

Treatises on Grammar[edit]

Mention may be made here of the treatises dealing exclusively with the genders of nouns, a class of literature known as Liñgānuśāsanas. Of all such works, the Nāmaliñgānuśāsana of Amarasiṅha.[26] is the best known and most widely used. Even some ancient grammarians like Patañjali[27] and Bhartṛhari[28] have developed a spiritual philosophy out of grammar, identifying the eternal aspect of sound[29] with the Brahman of Vedānta.

Topics in Grammar Literature[edit]

The following are the subjects normally dealt with in all these works of grammar:

  1. Nāmapada - nouns
  2. Sarvanāma - pronouns
  3. Liṅga - gender
  4. Vacana - number
  5. Vibhakti - declension
  6. Dhātu - root- verbs
  7. Kriyāpada - verbs and their forms according to tenses and moods
  8. Avyaya - indeclinables
  9. Taddhitānta - words derived from nouns
  10. Kṛdanta - words derived from verbs


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Ṛgveda 4.58.6
  2. ↑ Ṛgveda 10.71.4
  3. ↑ Gopatha Brāhmaṇa 1.24
  4. ↑ He lived in 58 B. C.
  5. ↑ Taittiriya Samhitā 6.4.7.3
  6. ↑ He lived in 500 B. C.
  7. ↑ Astādhyāyi 6.1.92
  8. ↑ Astādhyāyi 7.2.64
  9. ↑ Astādhyāyi 6.1.130
  10. ↑ Astādhyāyi 6.3.61; 8.4.67
  11. ↑ Astādhyāyi 7.3.99
  12. ↑ Astādhyāyi 1.1.16
  13. ↑ Astādhyāyi 8.3.18
  14. ↑ Astādhyāyi 6.1.123
  15. ↑ He lived in 200 B. C.
  16. ↑ He lived in A. D. 700.
  17. ↑ He lived in 13th century A. D.
  18. ↑ He lived in A. D. 1375.
  19. ↑ He lived in 14th century A. D.
  20. ↑ He lived in 1st century A. D.
  21. ↑ He lived in 5th century A. D.
  22. ↑ He lived in 6th century A. D.
  23. ↑ He lived in 9th century A. D.
  24. ↑ He lived in 12th century A. D.
  25. ↑ He lived in 11th century A. D.
  26. ↑ He lived in A. D. 500
  27. ↑ He lived in 200 B. C.
  28. ↑ He lived in A. D. 450-500
  29. ↑ It is called as nityaśabda.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
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