20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

Śabdasaṃskāra, a mere grammatical technique? 493points that may help us identify how grammar can be instrumental inproviding us with a way to salvation.There is no room now to bring out the controversial debate on theauthorship of Bhartṛhari over the commentary, Vṛtti, of the first and secondkāṇḍa of the Vākyapadīya, although I am rather inclined to subscribe toBiardeau’s (1964), and Bronkhorst’s (1988) opinions according towhich Bhartṛhari and Harivṛṣabha, the vṛttikāra, are two different persons.Thus, I will resort to the commentary as the place where I can extract themeaning of the above mentioned expressions, whether they represent ornot the very thought of Bhartṛhari. Irrespective of its author, the Vṛtti canact very well as an information source of a grammatical traditions, whichmight have been also known to Bhartṛhari. 7Let us concentrate first of all on the expression śabdasaṃskāra. Mostgrammarians 8 choose to read it as the process of correct derivation of aword with the use of Pāṇinian rules and also as the process of eliminatingcorrupt verbal forms (apabraṃśa).Kārikā 144 9 of the Brahmakāṇḍa where the expression occurs, seemsto me a central verse in understanding Bhartṛhari as the grammarianphilosopherfor whom grammar is “the door of salvation”.Therefore, word purification (śabdasaṃskāra) is a means of realizationof Supreme Atman. For the one who knows the truth of the employmentof [the word] principle of its action attains immortal Brahman. 10The term saṃskāra has a broad semantics which leads us to severalinterpretations. 11 In the kārikā 10, where it occurs for the first time in theBrahmakāṇḍa, the term has been interpreted in many ways.M. Biardeau chose to read it as the “purifying rites” 12 ; S. Iyer7I cannot bring out at this stage of my research a very consistent defence of myintuitive perception, thus I will have to accept cum grano salis tradition that places theequal sign between kārikākāra and vṛttikāra.8Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa explains it as the method of adding to verbal form or nominalstem the required affixes for obtaining the correct verbal form. Thus, for a 17 th centurygrammarian, an expression is purely grammatical, completely deprived of any metaphysicalpropensities.9I follow the Wilhelm Rau’s enumeration of the kārikās. Subramany K.A.Iyer’s and M. Biardeau’s edition differs slightly.10VP I.144: tasmād yaḥ śabdasaṃkāraḥ sā siddhiḥ paratmātmanaḥ / tasyapravṛttittvajñās tad brahmāmṛtam aśnute // English translation by Jan E.M. hOUBEN, 1995.11Vide M. MONIER-WILLIAMS 1993: 1120, col. b, c.12M. Biardeau 1964: “De lui, le praṇava, créateur des mondes, procèdent