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''Trikāṇḍī'' ("Three books") is a
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
treatise on the
philosophy of language Philosophy of language refers to the philosophical study of the nature of language. It investigates the relationship between language, language users, and the world. Investigations may include inquiry into the nature of Meaning (philosophy), me ...
and grammar ('' vyakarana''), written by the 5th-century Indian grammarian and philosopher
Bhartṛhari Bhartṛhari (Devanagari: ; Bhartrihari; fl. c. 5th century CE), was an Indian-Hindu linguistic philosopher and poet, known for his contributions to the fields of linguistics, grammar, and philosophy. He is believed to have been born in the 5t ...
. Some 19th-20th century printed editions refer to it by the title ''Vākyapadiya'', which is actually the title of a part of it. Bhartṛhari's work is significant for its comprehensive treatment of the relationship between language, thought, and reality.


Naming

''Trikāṇḍī'' which literally means three books, is the name of the works. However, the early printed editions of the work, such as those from 1888 and 1905, incorrectly presented ''Vākyapadiya'' as the title of the entire collection containing the three books. ''Vākyapadiya'' originally referred only to the second book of the collection, and later came to refer to the first two books.


Structure & content

The ''Trikāṇḍī,'' also known as ''Vākyapadīya,'' contains 3 ''kāṇḍas'' (sections): ''Brahmakāṇḍa'' (Book of Brahman), ''Vākyakāṇḍa'' (Book of Sentences), and ''Padakāṇḍa'' (Book of Words). Bhartrhari's ''Trikāṇḍī'' presents Vedas as the organizing principle of the world, serving not just as a guide (''upadestr'') for proper conduct and knowledge, but as the underlying essence (''prakrti'') of the universe, suggesting that the Veda is both the source of knowledge and the foundation of the world's existence. The first two parts are divided into ''kārikā''s (verses) and ''vṛtti'' (commentary). Since the earliest times, tradition attributes the authorship of the ''vṛtti''s to Bhartṛhari himself, although some manuscripts name Harivṛṣabha alias Vṛṣabha as their author. The structure of the text provides a holistic view of language, encompassing its philosophical foundations, sentence structurer, and word formation.


Brahmakāṇḍa

The ''Brahmakāṇḍa'' discusses the concept of
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
, stating that it "creates the diversity of the world out of language". It briefly discusses the Vedic branches and the Vedas as a source of rites,
smṛti ' (, , ), also spelled ' or ', is a body of Hindu texts representing the remembered, written tradition in Hinduism, rooted in or inspired by the Vedas. works are generally attributed to a named author and were transmitted through manuscripts, ...
,
schools of philosophy List of philosophies, schools of thought and philosophical movements. A Absurdism – Academic skepticism – Accelerationism - Achintya Bheda Abheda – Action, philosophy of – Actual idealism – Actualism – Advaita Vedanta ...
, and traditional knowledge. The author highlights the importance of the grammar ('' vyakarana''), calling it "the door to liberation", and describing it as the first among the six auxiliary sciences, because other sciences can be understood only through it. The text then discusses various topics, including words, meanings, and the relationship between them; the scope of grammar; linguistic forms; sphota; cognizance of the sound, etc. The author states that children understand language because of "dispositional tendencies" from their previous births; they attempt to speak out of intuition, not because they are taught to speak. In the ''vrtti'', the author explains that something that exists is as good as non-existent unless spoken of using language; similarly, non-existent things become as good as real when language brings them to one's mind. The author describes language as the basis of all branches of knowledge, and of all arts and crafts. He discusses the relationship between language and other concepts, such as cognition, consciousness, merit, spirituality, and scriptures. He also discusses the use of incorrect linguistic forms ('' apabhramsha'').


Vākyakāṇḍa

The author lists various definitions of a sentence by different authorities, such as Katyayana, the Mimamsa school, and different logicians (''nyaya-vadins''). He then discusses the concept of '' sphota'', and various views regarding the divisibility and indivisibility of a sentence and its meaning. The author discusses 12 views regarding the meaning of linguistic forms. He lists six varieties of intuition, and discusses the role of intuition in understanding the meaning of a sentence. He then discusses constituents of words (such as prefix, suffix, stem, and roots); linguistic forms (nouns, verbs, prepositions, particles, and postpositions); phonemes; compound words; homophones; concatenations of words. The author states that one must distinguish between the possible and intended meanings of the linguistic forms, and discusses various factors that determine the meaning. He also discusses various views on the relationship between language and meaning. For example, some people think that language only produces a memory, it does not establish the meaning: a burned man understands the meaning of burning when he comes in contact with fire, as opposed to learning the meaning of the word "burning" through language. The author also discusses other related topics, such as completeness of a sentence, emphasis, and related topics. In the epilogue, the author talks about different grammar traditions of India, stating that his teacher had mastered all of them. He mentions several earlier scholars, including Panini,
Patanjali Patanjali (, , ; also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra) was the name of one or more author(s), mystic(s) and philosopher(s) in ancient India. His name is recorded as an author and compiler of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these a ...
, Chandra, Baiji, Saubhava, and Haryaska. He states that it is important to learn about various traditions and the works of earlier scholars.


Padakāṇḍa

The final book is focused on individual words, their formation, and their meanings. The rules governing the formation and interpretation of words is also discussed here. Book 3 comprises 14 chapters (''samuddeśas''): # On Universal Property (''Jāti-samuddeśa'') # On Substance (''Dravya-samuddeśa'') # On Relation (''Saṃbandha-parīkṣā'') # More on Substance (''Bhūyodravya-samuddeśa'') # On Quality (''Guṇa-samuddeśa'') # On Spatial Direction (''Dik-samuddeśa'') # On the Means to Action (''Sādhana-samuddeêa'') # On Action (''Kriyā-samuddeśa'') # On Time (''Kāla-samuddeśa'') # On Person (''Puruṣa-samuddeśa'') # On Number (''Saṃkhyā-samuddeśa'') # On Aspect (''Upa-graha-samuddeśa'') # On Gender (''Liṅga-samuddeśa'') # On Linguistic Formations (''Vṛtti-samuddeśa'')


Commentaries

The following commentaries of the work are known: Book 1 * ''Paddhati'' or ''Sphutakshara'', a ''tika'' by Vṛṣabhadeva. Harivṛṣabha alias Vṛṣabha (c. 650 CE) was a son of Devayashas and a protege of king Vishnu-gupta; his ''Vakyapadiya-paddhati'' is the earliest known commentary on Bhartṛhari's work, composed by someone other than Bhartṛhari. Book 2 * Original ''vritti'' by Bhartṛhari or Harivṛṣabha * ''Vakyapradipatika'', by Bhartrhari, provides an explanation of the ''kārikās'' * A summary in verses of the ''tika'' by Punya-raja or Rajanaka-shura-varman; this was likely a summary of a now-lost commentary by Helaraja * ''Vākya-padiya-prameya-samgraha'', a summary of the ''tika'', by an unknown redactor. Book 3 * ''Prakirna-vrtti'' by the Yogachara teacher Dhrama-pala (6th-7th century); this work is now lost, and is known from the Chinese tradition and I-tsing. The title ''Prakirna-vrtti'' is known from Durveka Mishra's ''Dharmottara-pradipa''. * ''Prakirna aprakasha'' by Hela-raja, with two gaps filled by Phulla-raja (likely same as Punya-raja); this work contains an explanation of the ''kārikās''


References

{{reflist Ancient Indian grammar works 5th-century Sanskrit literature 5th-century books