Bhartṛhari’s Approach to Vākya‑Śakti

Summary

Focusing on the Indian grammarian-philosopher Bhartṛhari, this article analyses his theory of sentence‑meaning (vākya‑śakti) as expounded in the Vākyapadīya. Bhartṛhari argues that the sentence as a whole conveys meaning through a flash of intuitive understanding, while individual words serve only as supports. The author summarises Bhartṛhari’s concept of sphoṭa—the indivisible linguistic unit apprehended by consciousness—and contrasts it with Mīmāṃsā and Nyāya theories that treat meaning as compositional. Attention is given to Bhartṛhari’s discussion of context (prakaraṇa) and the role of the listener’s competence (pratibhā) in grasping meaning. Later commentators such as Helārāja and Patañjali are cited to show how Bhartṛhari’s ideas were received and debated. The article highlights the continuing relevance of these debates to modern linguistic theory, especially holistic versus atomistic approaches.