© 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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• 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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• Unit 3: The Discourse of śabda and artha
❖ Signifier (vācaka), signified (vācya) and the meaning (vācyārtha)
❖ The relationship of śabda and artha and the question of nitya (indestructible)
❖ Vāk and its four levels of manifestation
❖ The three types of meaning (artha)
❖ The two possibilities of getting meaning of utterances
❖ The requirements for constructing meaning of utterances
• Unit 4: The Science of Mantra
COURSE ❖ Mantra: meaning and dimensions

OUTLINE ❖ The Accents in Vaidika mantra

❖ The Purpose of Mantra
❖ Relation between mantra and spanda
❖ Autonomous spontaneous mantra (ajāpajāpa)
❖ Study of Language as an Ontological System
1. The Chapter of energy and consciousness
2. The encapsulation and limitation of energy
3. Manifestation of sound energy as potencies in relation to ontological categories
4. The Transposition Effect during Genesis of Vāk
5. The rectification (purification) in reversal 4
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UNIT -4
© DrSurabhi Verma
 M A N I F E S TAT I O N O F S O U N D E N E R G Y O F ‘ S VA R A S ’
© DrSurabhi Verma

AS POTENCIES IN RELATION TO ONTOLOGICAL

CATEGORIES
• The first tattva or element according to Kashmir Śaivism • The first alphabet अ represents Anuttara. आ represents
is Śiva – an synonym for Cit or Pure Intelligence or Ānand or Bliss. A desire arises in Śiva to experience its
Consciousness. All the activity goes on in this first nature- Ānanda in duality as well. For that Śiva has to create
element. Duality, as to begin with there is nothing except Śiva. This
desire is represented by the next two alphabets इ ई. The first
• The sixteen vowels are represented by the first Tattva-
one represents Icchā and the second one Iśāna. As soon as the
Śiva.
desire arises, the knowledge of duality too arises instantly in
• Everything is Śiva-Śakti, even the language. When Śiva the heart (consciousness) of Śiva. They are represented by
(vowels) and Śakti (consonants) meet, a word is formed the next two Vowels उ ऊ. They are known as unmeṣa and
and when many words combine, a language is formed. unnatā.
• The language is the expression of thoughts. The mind is
nothing without these thoughts and they act as a support
for mind.
• At the same time, it makes the mind to forget its non-dual
nature and engages it in the world of duality. Thus, This
language binds a paśu (empirical being) or liberates
him/her. Every word is thus a mantra for the Yogī.

Figure 4.27
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• अ आ mixes with the Icchā इ ई thus giving rise to the next two
CONT… vowels ए ऐ. Again अ आ now mixes with Jñāna उ ऊ, and
gives rise to the next two vowels ओ औ. These four vowels ए
• At this point, an apprehension arises in Śiva, that what if Śiva ऐ ओ औ represent the four stages of kriya or action of Śiva. ए
forgets his real nature, once he manifests as duality (universe). ऐ ओ औ represent the least vivid, somewhat vivid, vivid and
Fearing that it might forget its real nature i.e. Consciousness – the most vivid action of Śiva.
bliss, he rests back in his nature that is अ आ( Consciousness-
bliss). Retracting from knowledge to first stage(consciousness-
bliss) gives rise to the next 4 vowels
• ऋ(ṛ) ॠ(ṝ) लृ (ḷ) (ḹ) -These are the four stages of void.

Figure 4.29
• The next vowel अं represent that though desire, knowledge
and the means of knowledge has risen in the heart
(consciousness) of Śiva, yet it is still at the level of non-
duality (represented by point).
Figure 4.28
• The next vowel is represented by two dots ( : ) The upper dot
• After retracting to the initial stage of अ आ, it strikes Śiva that it represents Śiva and the lower dot represents Śakti. In fact, it
can not forget his real nature and Śiva comes out from the also signifies that at this level, it is the Śiva that becomes the
apprehension and carries forward from where he has stopped. Śakti.
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CONT…
• From this point onwards, everything becomes Śakti. It has • Whenever we say anything that has ‘I’, or wherever we refer
been termed that the projection of Śiva on Śakti happens to the first person, it is Śiva (and Śakti) , to whom we are
inversely, that is, the first element appears as the last and referring. Śiva is always the first person and thus we all are
the last tattva which is pṛthivī appears as first. ‘Śiva’. Thus ‘Aham’ is also a mantra which is meant for the
contemplation for the sadhakas of Kashmir Śaivism as not
• In other words, it implies that the subtler elements appear
only all the 36 elements are present in this mantra, but its
last and the grossest first. Thus the projection appears first
metaphysics as well.
as the pañca-mahābhutas (five gross elements) represented
by कvarg, then pañca-tanmatras represented by चvarg,
pañca-karmendriyas (actions) represented by टvarg, pañca-
jñānendriyas by तvarg, antaḥkaraṇa (5 internal organs) by
पvarg and pañca-kañcukas along with māyā (sheaths) by य
र ल व and five śuddha tattvas (pure elements) by श ष स ह.

• The first vowel- which is Śiva is अ, and the last consonant

is ह. When they combine with each other putting up
anusvāra as the notion of jīva, they become अहं or Aham-
that means ‘I’ or ‘I am’.

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 Sequential Expression-
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• The first vowel अ (Śiva tattva) when joins with the last consonant ह
(Śakti tattva), Aham अहं is formed. The expression of Śiva- Śakti tattva
is ‘Aham’ or I (I am).
Śiva Śakti – Aham -अ
• The third tattva Sadā-Śiva denoted by स in Mātṛkācakra has an
expression as अहं ईदम or I am this or this-ness. The classification of
first person with respect to this-ness (universe or objectivity) is clear.
Sadā Śiva- Aham Idam - स
• The fourth tattva is Īśvara represented by ष in Mātṛkācakra. This stage
is represented by ईदम अहं or Idam Aham meaning I am this or this-
ness. Idam or thisness has become the first person here and Aham has
Īśvara- Idam Aham - ष
been relegated to inferior stage. The stage of objectivity is clearer to
another degree.

• The fifth tattva is Śuddha vidyā represented by श in Mātṛkācakra and its Śuddha vidyā- Aham
Idam- Idam Aham - श
expression is अहं ईदम ईदम अहं . Meaning I am this/thisness and this I
am. The sense of duality is much more clearer than the previous stages.

• From Aham at Śiva-Śakti to Aham Idam- Idam Aham at Śuddha vidyā in

the decreasing order of the subtleness or the process of subjectivity to
objectivity has been displayed lucidly in the darśana as well as
epistemology of Kashmir Śaivism.

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• The attributes of Śiva which is Cit (Consciousness or Pure Intelligence), Ānand (bliss), Icchā (will), Jñāna (knowledge) and Kriyā
(action) apply in this order in the 36 elements (but inversely).
• The 36 elements in their order and as denoted by sounds according to Mātṛkācakra is given below-

Potencies Pañca Pañca Pañca Pañca Antaḥ Ṣat Kañcukas Śuddha tattvas
Mahābhūtas Tanmatras Karmendriya Jñānendriyas karaṇas
s
Kriyā Pṛthivī - क Gandha - च Upastha - ट Ghrāṇa - त Manas - प Niyati - य Śuddha vidyā - श
Jñāna Jala - ख Rasa - छ Pāyu - ठ Rasanā - थ Buddhi - फ Kāla - र Īśvara - ष
Icchā Agni - ग Rūpa - ज Pāda – ड Cakṣu - द Ahaṃkāra - ब Rāga -ल Sadāśiva – स
Ānanda Vāyu - घ Sparśa - झ Pāṇi - ढ Tvak - ध Prakṛti- भ Vidyā - र Śakti – ह, क्ष
Cit Ākāśa - ङ Śabda - ञ Vāk - ण Śrotra - न Puruṣa - म Kalā - ल Śiva - अ आ इ ई उ ऊ
ऋ ऋृ ल ृ ए ऐ ओ औ
अं अः
Māyā - व

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THANK YOU.
© DrSurabhi Verma