A Śabda Reader: Language in Classical Indian Thought

Published by Columbia University Press 2019

A Śabda Reader

Language in Classical Indian Thought

Edited by: Johannes Bronkhorst

In the series Historical Sourcebooks in Classical Indian Thought

https://doi.org/10.7312/bron18940

Overview
Contents

About this book

The first reader on language in—and the language of—classical Indian philosophy, A Śabda Reader offers a comprehensive and pedagogically valuable treatment of this topic. It brings together newly translated passages by authors from a variety of traditions—Brahmin, Buddhist, Jaina—representing a number of schools of thought.

Author / Editor information

Bronkhorst Johannes :

Johannes Bronkhorst (PhD, Sanskrit and Pali, University of Pune) is Professor Emeritus of Sanskrit and Indian Studies at the University of Lausanne. He is the author of a number of books, including Karma (Hawaii, 2011), Buddhist Teaching in India (Wisdom, 2009), Tradition and Argument in Classical Indian Linguistics (Springer, 2013), Language and Reality (Brill, 2011), and How the Brahmins Won (Brill, 2016).Johannes Bronkhorst is professor emeritus of Sanskrit and Indian studies at the University of Lausanne. He is the author of a number of books, including Buddhist Teaching in India (2009) and How the Brahmins Won: From Alexander to the Guptas (2016).

Reviews

Raffaele Torella, author of The Philosophical Traditions of India: An Appraisal:
When in the Aitareya-Brāhmaṇa the goddess Vāc ('Language') says to the gods that she will take leave from them in the attempt of rescuing the stolen sacrifice, the gods were upset: 'No, you will not go: how could we do without Vāc?' In no other tradition did speculation on language have such a strong impact on philosophical thought as in premodern India. Both Brahmanical and Buddhist philosophers, in spite of their radically conflicting views on language (a marvelous reality from which we derive ultramundane and mundane knowledge for the former; a highly dangerous and deceptive tool for the latter) brilliantly contributed to its investigation. Exploring the labyrinthine world of Indian linguistic thought, led by the firm hand of Johannes Bronkhorst, means entering Indian philosophy as a whole through the main door.

Jan E.M. Houben, Professor of Sanskrit at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, PSL Université Paris:
Never before has Indian philosophy of language been made accessible in such comprehensive, penetrating, and masterly fashion. Containing an original selection and careful translation of passages from around fifty different texts in Sanskrit, Vedic, and Pali, A Śabda Reader is an indispensable guide and sourcebook for students and scholars of India’s long, rich, and dynamic intellectual history.

Piotr Balcerowicz, author of Early Asceticism in India: Ājīvikism and Jainism:
A Śabda Reader provides a comprehensive survey of what arguably was the world’s richest speculation on language and its nature. It was a direct exposure to this tradition in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that prompted the emergence of modern linguistics. Part I presents an overview of a wide spectrum of topics, whereas Part II lets the Indian mind speak for itself: it offers a comprehensive selection of passages translated from their originals. The lucid nature of the exposition makes the contents easily accessible to nonspecialists and highly informative to specialists trained in South Asian languages.

Madhav M. Deshpande, author of The Meaning of Nouns: Semantic Theory in Classical and Medieval India:
Johannes Bronkhorst is a master of the field of Indian theories of language, and he brings his lifelong expertise to provide comprehensive coverage and lucid access to scientific thinking about language from Sanskrit classics including traditions of Sanskrit grammarians, Buddhist and Jain philosophers, Yoga, Vedānta, Mīmāṃsā, Hindu logicians, and Sanskrit poetics. A Śabda Reader is going to become essential reading for anyone interested in Indian theories of language.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Part I: Introduction
General Observations About Philosophy in India Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
Chapter One. The Brahmanical Background Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	8
Chapter Two. Buddhist Thought: Source Of Inspiration Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
Chapter Three. The Grammarian Patanjali Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	24
Chapter Four. The Special Place Of Sanskrit And The Veda Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
Chapter Five. Self-Contradictory Sentences Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
Chapter Six. Do Words Affect Cognition? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
Chapter Seven. Words And Sentences Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	56
Chapter Eight. Other Denotative Functions Of The Word Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	62
Part II: Reader
Chapter One. The Brahmanical Background Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
Chapter Two. Buddhist Thought: Source Of Inspiration Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
Chapter Three. The Grammarian Patanjali Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
Chapter Four. The Special Place Of Sanskrit And The Veda Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
Chapter Five. Self-Contradictory Sentences Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203
Chapter Six. Do Words Affect Cognition? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219
Chapter Seven. Words And Sentences Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
Chapter Eight. Other Denotative Functions Of The Word Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	290
Index of Passages Translated or Referred To Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	309
The Texts and Their Dates Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	313
Tentative and Approximate Chronological Table of Authors and Works Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	323
Editions Used Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325
Technical Terms and Their Equivalents in English Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	329
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	333
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	335
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	347
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	355

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;

eBook

Published: March 19, 2019
ISBN: 9780231548311