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The Dimensions of a Word: Bhartrhari's and... : 95
There are also the following, prominent commentaries, which have had a great impact upon many Indian philosophers of language: Paddhati by Vrsabhadeva (8th c.) to Vākyapadīya and vrtti to the first of kandas, the full commentary to the second kāņdas by Punyarāja, Sasankaśişya's disciple', Sabdaprabha to the first and the second kānda, Prakīrṇaprakāśa to the third one by Helaraja (9th), quoted by Madhvācharya, Bhattoji Dikṣita and Nageśabhatta and also gaps in third kānda filled by Phullarājal. Sabdadhātusamiksā, understood as the root cause of sabda, the lost work, has been attributed to Bhartshari based on Somananda's critique comprised in Śivadrsti and on Utpalacharya's approach".
Pāṇini's Aștādhyāyī, so important for Bhartshari's development, has become the ultimate authority in describing language. Corrected versions (with interpolations, modifications and changes) of this unique work and numerous commentaries support scholars to have on deep insight into it: Saṁgraha of Vyādi20, Vārttika by Kātyāyana and Mahābhāsya by Patañjali, reducing grammatical and philosophical notions and using the term sabdānuśasāna for grammar. Some scholars (Baiji, Saubhava, Haryakca) started distorting Mahābhāsya?!.
For Bhartrhari, grammar (vyākarana) relates to a spoken language focused on communication and consisting of: sentences and words, meanings corresponding to sentences and words, compatibility between sound and meaning and spiritual benefit achievable through proper usage of language22.
This stable structure has been described by Indian grammarian analyzing the basis of logical abstraction, singling out different components such as root and suffix. Analytical language explains the structure of communicative language, the causal effect relations and relations between abstract forms and meanings23.
A Word, a Sentence and a Relation Between Language and the Reality Bhartshari identifies a language with the absolute entity -- brahman24. The basic unit of language is sentence which as a judgment belongs to the mind and the words cannot exist separately out of it. The author of Vākyapadiya enumerated perception (pratyakşa), inference (anumāna) and word (śabda) as means leading to the valid knowledge (pramāņa?) which has the highest authority. There is a strict correlation between language and the reality27. The world is an aggregate of different forces and meaning is all-powerful (sarvaśaktivat). Each object has three powers: manifestation (āvir-bhāva), hideness (tiro-bhāva) and the state of continuance (sthiti), which reflect upon masculine, feminine and neutral state. The infinitive reality is under control of a particular, limited word (vyavahāra) based on a conventional usage (saṁketa) and exposing its own power through the intention of the speaker (vivaksā). In consequence we can get only a limited image of the universe28. The essential reality (bhāva) is behind all differentation (vikalpātīta). The subject in its totality will never be understood on the basis of word denoting it. In Vākyapadiya there is a following passage: na hi sarveśām satāṁ śabdobhidhāyakah 29 ("a word does not express all of the existent qualities (of an object]'). The same kind of limitation is related to a perception0. There are also words which do not denote existent objects but abide in non-reality, for example "a horn of hare" (śaśa-śrnga) or a flower of heaven" (kha-puspa)31 and that is why the lan
