sign in sign up
<<
Home , Vedanga

Prātiśākhyas (ाितशा) The Text of Vedic )

Prātiśākhyas (ाितशा) are also known as the texts of Vedic grammar. These Prātiśākhyas are of a specific nature, which is concerned mainly with the changes, euphonic and others, during the conversion of Saṁhit ā pāṭha to Padap āṭha. prātiśākhya ), also known as Parsada (pārṣada ). It appears that t he word पाषद (pārṣada ) was used for the Prātiśākhyas as they were the outcome of the discussions of learned scholars in Vedic assemblies; cf परषिद भवं पाषदम् (pariṣadi bhavaṃ pārṣadam ). They were composed centuries ago for Padap āṭha, or word-for-word recitation, and then supply rules for the continuous recitation before the work of Pāṇini , Saṁhit ā pāṭha -When the hymns of the are pronounced in a running manner as a complete unit are known as Saṁhit ā pāṭha. To preserve the basic nature of the Vedic texts and prevent the insertions in the a number of devices related to the correct pronunciation, such as Padap āṭha, malāpāṭha, jatāpāṭha, ghanapāṭha etc. had been developed in the past. Padapāṭha is one of those devices. Padapāṭha - In the Padap āṭha all the changes which occur due to proximity of sounds during the Saṁhit ā pāṭha removed and the syntactic units (padas) are kept in their original form. All the syntactic units (padas) are considered independent units.

The Prātiśākhyas are neither concerned with the sense of words, nor with their division into bases and affixes, nor with their . They contain, more or less, Vedic passages arranged from the point of view of Samdhi. In the Rk Prātiśākhya, available to-day, topics of , recital, phonetics and the like are introduced, but it appears that originally the Rk Prātiśākhya, just like the Atharva Prātiśākhya, was concerned with euphonic changes, the other subjects being introduced later on. The word ाितशा (prātiśākhya ) shows that there were such treatises for each of the several Sakhas or branches of each Veda many of which later on disappeared as the number of the followers of those branches dwindled. Out of the remaining ones also, many were combined with others of the same Veda. At present, only five or six Prātiśākhyas are available which are the surviving representatives of 33 the ancient ones -the Rk Prātiśākhya by Saunaka, the Taittiriya Prātiśākhya, the Vajasaneyi Prati-Sakhya by Katyayana, the Atharva Prātiśākhya and the Rk by Sakatayana, which is practically a Prātiśākhya of the Sama Veda. Although the Prātiśākhya works

1 in nature, are preliminary to works on grammar, it appears that the existing Prātiśākhyas, which are the revised and enlarged editions of the old ones, are written after Panini's grammar, each one of the present Prātiśākhya representing, of course, several ancient Prātiśākhyas, which were written before Panini. Uvvata, a learned scholar of the twelfth century has written a brief commentary on the Rk Prātiśākhya and another one on the Vajasaneyi Prātiśākhya. The Taittiriya Prātiśākhya has got two commentaries -one by Somayarya, called Tribhasyaratna and the other called Vaidikabharana written by Gopalayajvan. There is a commentary by bhatta on the Vajasaneyi Prātiśākhya. These commentaries are called Bhasyas also. The phonetic aspects of Vajasaneyi Prātiśākhya is closest to those found in the classic grammar work of Pāṇini.

Shiksha (śikṣā)

Shiksha (śikṣā) is a Sanskrit word, which means "instruction, lesson, learning, study of skill".But in the present context it also refers to one of the six Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic studies, on phonetics and phonology in Sanskrit. In fact in the ancient Indian tradition Vedas have been Centre point of the all kind of intellectual activities. As a result of this all the branches of knowledge developed to understand, protect and preserve the Vedas. The emergence of six Vedangas, or six limbs of Vedas are product of the same effort. The Six Vedangas are namely Shiksha, Vyakarana, , , Chanda and Jyotisha. The subject matter and the field of Shiksha Vedanga is study of sound, focussing on the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, accent, quantity, stress, melody and rules of euphonic combination of words during a Vedic recitation. Each ancient Vedic school developed this field of Vedanga . Although the Prātiśākhyas ( ाितशा) are also known as the texts of Vedic grammar and not considered as Vedangas, but they also deal with the Phonetics and Phonological aspect of the Vedic language. There are many books named Shiksha, written by many authors, such as Paniniya Shiksha , Naradiya Shiksha , Apishali Shiksha , shonakiya Shiksha etc.

Shiksha is considered the oldest and the first auxiliary discipline to the Vedas, maintained since the Vedic era. It aims at construction of sound and language

2 for synthesis of ideas, in contrast to grammarians who developed rules for language deconstruction and understanding of ideas. The Shiksha Vedangas helped in preserving the Vedas. The Shiksha field of Vedic studies arranged the Sanskrit alphabet in a rational order. Each alphabet mapped to the anatomical nature of human sounds, from the back to the front – throat (at the very back), palate, palatal ridge, teeth and lips. The methodical phonetic procedure developed by Shiksha helped preserve the Vedas without the slightest variants in the most faithful way possible. Shiksha literature also provides the essential qualification for the study of Vyakarana. Merits of a good speaker:

िशा literature not only discusses the correct pronunciation and different aspects of language production, but also talks about the merits of a reader or a speaker.

िशा says: माधुयमरि: पदछेदतु सुवर:। धय लयसमथ च षडेते पाठका गुणा: ॥ (Pa. Shi. 33) It means, sweetness, clarity of speech, separation of words, correct accent and ability to observe time are six merits of a speaker or a reader.

Demerits of a speaker:

िशा also discusses the possible demerits of a speaker or of a reader: गीित शीी िशर:कपी तथा िलिखतपाठक:। अनथोऽपकठ षडेते पाठकाऽधमा:॥(Pa. Shi. 32) Those who speak in the singing manner , too quickly, with nodding of head, uses a written text for speech , do not know the meaning of the passage which are being read and have a low voice which is not properly audible. These six are demerits of a speaker or of a reader. There may be some other faults of a speaker which have been also enumerated further:-

शंकतं भीतमुघुं अमनुनािसकम्। काकवरं िशरिसगतं तथा थानिववजतम्॥(Pa. Shi. 34)

3

It mean Shyness, fear, extreme loudness, in distinctness, undue nasalization, repressed tone, undue celebralization non observance of place of articulation may be the other demerits of a speaker. Standard length of speech sounds:

Authors of िशा literature were so intelligent that without availability and use of modern equipment, they were capable of realizing the distinctive features and measuring the length of speech sounds. They fixed a standard unit of time called माा or Mora. They categorized vowels in three categories on the basis of time taken in their pronunciation. Those categories are व short, दीघ long and लुत over long or Prolated. The time taken in the pronunciation is एकमाा one Mora for व, े माे two Mora for दीघ and िमाा: three Mora for लुत or over long. The time taken in the pronunciation of a ंजन or consonant is अधमाा an half a Mora. They found out some sounds of similar length in the nature those can be seen here in the following Verse-

चाषतु वदते माां िमां वेव वायस:। िशखी रौित िमां तु, नकुलवधमाकम्॥ (Pa. Shi. 49) The Blue Jay speaks in one Mora time, the crow speaks in two Mora time, the sound produced by peacock takes three Mora and the time taken by mongoose in the sound production is only half a Mora. I think, for correct pronunciation of the speech sounds of any of the language, all these aspects of speech sounds analyzed by the िशा literature are equally important and useful today as those were in ancient time or thousands of years ago.

Yāska

Yāska was an early Etymologist probably lived about the 5th century BC. Yāska was Predecessor of Pāṇini . Yāska himself talks about the tradition of Nairuktas. He is traditionally identified as the author of Nirukta , the discipline of "etymology" (explanation of words) within Sanskrit grammatical tradition. In fact Nirikta is commentary on the Nighantu which is a collection of uncommon archaic words. Nighantu also provides a collection of so

4 called synonyms. But the etymological system of Yaska tells us that each and every synonym word denotes a different meaning although there may be some similar features. The Nirukta of Yaske is considered an essential part of the curriculum known as Six Vedangas (six limbs of the Vedas) meant for the studies of the Vedas. Pāṇini cites at least ten grammarians and linguists before him. According to Sumitra Mangesh Katre, the ten Vedic scholar names he quotes are of Apisali, , Gargya, Galava, Cakravarmana, , Sakatayana, Sakalya, Senaka and Sphotayana. [9] According to Kamal K. Misra, Pāṇini also refers to Yaska, "whose writings date back to the middle of the 4th century B.C.

A central premise of Yaska was that man creates more new words to conceptualize and describe action, that is nouns often have verbal roots. However, added Yaska, not all words have verbal roots. He asserted that both the meaning and the etymology of words are always context dependent. According to Yaska every action passes through six modifications of Kriya (action) and Bhava (dynamic being), namely jāyate, asti, vipari ṇamate, vardhate, apak ṣīyate and vina śyati (being born, existing, changing, increasing, decreasing and perishing). He is thought to have succeeded Śākaṭāyana , an old grammarian and expositor of the Vedas, who is mentioned in his text. The Nirukta attempts to explain how certain words get to have their meanings, especially in the context of interpreting the Vedic texts. It includes a system of rules for forming words from roots and affixes, and a glossary of irregular words, and formed the basis for later lexicons and dictionaries.

Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa

Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭawas a great grammarian philosopher. He was born in Maharashtra. He was by birth. His father’s name was Bhatta. His mother’s name was . It is known from the last versa of laghuśabdenduśekhara that he has no child. His time period is considered from 1732 1810. The king of śṛṅgaverapura Ram Singh was his employer. It has been mentioned in the books of history of and history of that the King of Jaipur had performed aśvamedha yajña. He was invited him to perform the great sacrifice, but at that time he has taken saṃnyāsa dīkṣā so he refused to accept his invitation. He

5 was disciple of dikshita the grandson of Bhattoji dikshita. Vaidyanatha Paigunda was his direct disciple.

He was a great scholar of the time. He was not only a grammarian but a great scholar of sāhitya, alaṃkāra śāstra, dharmaśāstra, sāṃkhya, , pūrvamīmāṃsā, vedānta and jyotiṣa. He is considered the scholar of repute and authority on the navyavyākaraṇa (Neo Grammar). It is Maxim in that Nagesh Bhatt has studied mahābhāṣya eighteen times from his teacher. He is author of many books. He has commented on Pradīpa authored by kaiyatta on the mahābhāṣya. The name of his commentary on Pradīpa is Pradīpodyota or udyota. Some of his other famous writings are; laghuśabdenduśekhara, bṛhcchabdenduśekhara, paramalaghumañjūṣā, laghumañjūṣā, paribhāṣenduśekhara, sphoṭasiddhi. Laghuśabdenduśekhara and bṛhcchabdenduśekhara are two commentaries on the siddhantakaumudī of Bhattoji Dikshita. Paramalaghumañjūṣā and Laghumañjūṣā are two independent books of the Philosophy of Grammar where is has discussed a number of philosophical issues, such as sphoṭa theory, śabdaśakti, eternity of word etc. All these books and commentaries are considered final authority in the field.

kaiyata In the Paninian tradition Kaiyata is very important figure. The birthplace of Kaitata is not known to us, but on the basis of the similarity of the names like Mammata, Rudrata, Udbhatta it is asumed that Kaiyata was bourne somewhere in Kashmir. His exact time is also not known to us as he has not mentioned any where in his writings. On the basis of the references and qouts made by the other scholars in thrir writings by the name of Kaiyata, ist is only infered that he flourished during the 12th century A.D. His father’s name was Jayyata Upadhyaya. Kaiyata has mentioned his father;s name along with his own name at the end of the each chapter of the commentry of Mahābhāṣyapradīpa. As per Sudhāsāgara the commentary of kāvyaprakāśa, written Bhimsena, he was brother of Mammata the author of kāvyaprakāśa. This is the oldest commentary on Mahābhāṣya after Bhartari’s Mahābhāṣyadīpikā. Pandit

6

Yudhishthira Mimamsaka writes in his Vyākaraṇaśāstra kā itihāsa that there is no doubt about it that he may had taught many disciples but only Udyotakara is known to us. This Udyotakara is different from the author of the Nyāyavārtika. Kaiyata has written a famous commentary Mahābhāṣyapradīpa on the Mahābhāṣya of . He says that he has written this commentary on the basis of Mahābhāṣyadīpikā of Bhartrihari. This is the only commentary which helps us to understand the difficult text like Mahābhāṣya. It is impossible to understand the concepts of mahābhāṣya without the help of this commentary. Many scholar like Chintamani, Naganatha, , Ishwarananda Saraswati, Annamabhatta, Narayana Shastri, Nageshabhatta, Mallaya Yajva, Ramasevaka, Pravartakopadhyaya, Narayana, Sarveshvara Somayaji and Harirama have written commentaries on the Pradīpa of Kaiyata. This is enough to show the importance of the Pradīpa.

Kumārila Bhaṭṭa

Mīmāṃsā school of believes in the testimony of the Vedas. Basic text of this discipline is Mimamsa of . Inquiry about is the Main aim of this Mīmāṃsā school of Indian Philosophy which is enjoined by the Vedic injunctions. So, all the activities of Mīmāṃsakas revolve around the Vedas. To get the exact meanings of the Vedic injunctions they have made rigorous exercise to develop the hermeneutical principles. The available earliest commentary (Bhashya) on the Mīmāṃsā sutras has been written by Sabara Swamin. Mīmāṃsā has great influence on the various schools of Indian Philosophy, which accept the testimony of the Vedas. Kumārila Bhaṭṭa has commented upon the Sabarabhashya authored by Sabara Swamin. His commentary on the Sabarabhashya has been in three parts namely, ślokavārtika , tantravārtika and ṭupṭīkā . The approach of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa Particularly regarding the doctrines propagated by Kumārila Bhaṭṭa are considered pragmatic. Therefore, in general the doctrines of Mīmāṃsā school of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa are acceptable to all the schools of Indian Philosophy which believe in the testimony of the Vedas. There is maxim in this regard “ vyavahāre bhāṭṭanayaḥ”. There are three different schools of Mīmāṃsā Philosophy known as Bhatta School, Prabhakara School and third comparatively lesser known way of Murāi Mishra. Kumārila Bhaṭṭa and his followers in the Mīmāṃsā tradition known

7 as Bhāṭṭas . Bhāṭṭas argued for a particular theory of verbal cognition known as abhihitānvayavāda. This theory holds that in the process of verbal cognition first of all we understand meanings of individual and unrelated words, which are constituent words of a particular sentence. After that, the word-meanings which have already been comprehended become tool to get the sentence-meaning.

NOTE: My research article, attached herewith in a separate PDF, can be seen on the Abhihitānvayavāda and Anvitābhidhānavāda.

Regarding the focal point of the sentence-meaning there is another debate. Grammarians hold that action (kriyā or dhātvartha) is the central point in a sentence. This is known as dhātvarthamukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha. According to naiyyāyikās the agent or the meaning of the first case- ending word is always central point in a sentence. This is known as prathamāntārthamukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha. The prābhākara school of Mīmāṃsā Philosophy holds that ākhyātārtha or action of the agent is always central point in a sentence. This is known as ākhyārthamukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha. But Kumārila Bhaṭṭa asserts that bhāvanā or indentation of the motivator is always supreme in a sentence-meaning. This is known as bhāvanāmukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha.

• You can also consult Wikki Pedia on Kumarila Bhatta for other details.

Prabhākara Miśra

Mīmāṃsā school of Indian Philosophy believes in the testimony of the Vedas. Basic text of this discipline is Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini. Inquiry about Dharma is the Main aim of this Mīmāṃsā school of Indian Philosophy which is enjoined by the Vedic injunctions. So, all the activities of Mīmāṃsakas revolve around the Vedas. To get the exact meanings of the Vedic injunctions they have made rigorous exercise to develop the hermeneutical principles. The available earliest commentary (Bhashya) on the Mīmāṃsā sutras’ has been written by Sabara Swamin.

8

Mīmāṃsā has great influence on the various schools of Indian Philosophy, which accept the testimony of the Vedas. There are three different schools of Mīmāṃsā Philosophy known as Bhatta School, Prabhakara School and third comparatively lesser known way of Murāi Mishra. Like Kumārila Bhaṭṭa, Prabhākara miśra has also commented upon the Sabarabhashya authored by Sabara Swamin. He has written two different commentaries Bṛhatī and Laghvī . He was direct disciple of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa. He differs on a number of issues from his (Teacher) Kumārila Bhaṭṭa. Kumārila Bhaṭṭa holds that after the performance of a sacrifice there emerges an invisible Dharma apūrva which becomes instrumental to attain the Svarga. But according to Prabhākara after the performance of a sacrifice there emerges an invisible Dharma Niyoga which becomes instrumental to attain the Svarga. As far as Verbal cognition is concerned Prabhākara miśra has a different view point. Contrary to Kumārila Bhaṭṭa’s abhihitānvayavāda the theory of verbal cognition Prabhākara holds the anvitābhidhānavāda the theory of verbal cognition. This theory upholds that individual word-meanings and their mutual relations are the inherent and comprehended by the understanding the constituent words of the sentence by themselves. It means the sentence –meaning, i.e. meaning of the constituent words along with their relations, is directly conveyed by its constituent words directly.

Regarding the focal point of the sentence-meaning there is another debate. Grammarians hold that action (kriyā or dhātvartha) is the central point in a sentence. This is known as dhātvarthamukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha . According to naiyyāyikāsthe agent or the meaning of the first case-ending word is always central point in a sentence. This is known as prathamāntārthamukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha . ākhyārthamukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha . Kumārila Bhaṭṭa asserts that bhāvanā or indentation of the motivator is always supreme in a sentence-meaning. This is known as bhāvanāmukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha. But prābhākara school of Mīmāṃsā Philosophy holds that ākhyātārtha or general action of the agent prevailed in all the derived forms of a verb is always central point in a sentence. This is known as ākhyārthamukhyaviśeṣyaka śābdabodha.

9

• NOTE: My research article, attached herewith in a separate PDF, can be seen on the Abhihitānvayavāda and Anvitābhidhānavāda.

Vedangas: general introduction

Vedangas literally mean the limbs of the Vedas. They are six in number. Just like the limbs of the body, they perform various supportive and augmenting functions in the study, preservation and protection of the Vedas and the vedic traditions. The six Vedangas are Shiksha, Chhanda, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Jyotisha and Kalpa. These subjects were an integral and essential part of ancient Vedic education system, aimed to promote an all-round development of the students with a better understanding of the Vedas and Vedic practices.

Of these six subjects, Shiksha deals with the study of sounds and pronunciation associated with each syllable; Chhanda with the mastery of rhyme and meter; Vyakarna with the study of word and sentence structure; Nirukta with the meaning of complex words and phrases; Jyotisha with the study of heavenly bodies to find an auspicious time for the performance of the rituals; and Kalpa with the ethical , moral and procedural percepts associated with the performance of rituals as a way of life. In the following paragraphs we will discuss each of these subjects in detail.

The Vedangas played an important role in maintaining the purity and integrity of the Vedic tradition. They continue to occupy an important place in the academic study of the Vedas. For centuries they taught and continue to teach vedic students how to recite the vedic hymns, understand their meaning and perform the various rituals and ceremonies strictly according to the established procedures.

10