Review of: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHIES, V: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE GRAMMARIANS.

Abstract

Traditional Sanskrit grammar is primarily a technical enterprise, which does not constitute, in and by itself, a system of philosophy. Grammatical discussions may, and do, from time to time touch upon philosophical questions, but the idea [719] of a grammarians’ philosophy might not have arisen were it not for Bhart®hari. This thinker of the fifth century (as now as much as certain) worked out a philosophical system which he claimed to be ‘grammatical’, and which (or parts of which) came to be accepted by later grammarians as belonging to their own tradition. Moreover, this philosophy came to be included in such works as Såyaˆa-Mådhava’s Sarvadarßanasa ∫ graha (14 th century).