Bhartá¹Âhari (Devanagari: ; Bhartrihari; fl. c. 5th century CE), was an Indian-Hindu linguistic philosopher and poet, known for his contributions to the fields of linguistics, grammar, and philosophy. He is believed to have been born in the 5th century in Ujjain, Malwa, India. He decided to live a monastic life and find a higher meaning but was unable to detach from worldly life. He lived as a yogi in Ujjain until his death.
He is best known for his works, the VÃÂkyapadëya (a treatise on sentences and words), MahÃÂbhÃÂá¹£yatikà(a commentary on Patanjali's Mahabhashya), VÃÂkyapadëyavá¹Âtti (a commentary on VÃÂkyapadëya kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âas 1 and 2), à ÂabdadhÃÂtusamëká¹£ÃÂ, and the 300-verse collection à Âatakatraya.
Bhartrhari's philosophy is marked by the concept of "Shabda-Brahman", that the ultimate reality is expressed through words. He posited that language and cognition are linked and that by understanding grammar one can attain spiritual liberation.
Bhartrhari's works have been studied in various Indian philosophical traditions, including Vedanta and Mimamsa. Islamic and Western scholars have also shown interest through various translations and commentaries. In the field of Indian poetics, Bhartrhari's à Âatakatraya continues to be revered and studied and has been translated into many languages, affording access to a global audience.
Bhartrhari is believed to have been born in Ujjain, Malwa, India and lived in the 5th century. Details of his personal life are not known, but it is assumed, and accepted by scholars, that he lived between 485 and 540 CE. He was associated with the court of Valabhi (modern Vala, Gujarat) but decided to follow the path of Indian sages and renounced a sensual life to find higher meaning. He attempted to live a monastic life but was unable to successfully detach from worldly pleasures. After some time, he lived a life as a yogi in Ujjain till his death.
Siá¹Âhasà «rigaá¹Âi, a 6th-century Jain writer, states that Bhartrhari studied under a grammarian named VasurÃÂta. Bhartrhari credits some of his theories to VasurÃÂta in his work the Vakyapadiya.
The Chinese traveller Yi-Jing (635-713 CE) mentions Bhartrhari in his travel notes. He claims that Bhartrhari was a Buddhist and wrote the works Vakyapadiya, Peina, and a commentary on Patanjali's Mahabhashya. Researchers have found some of the details given by Yi-Jing to be erroneous, specifically the time period that he was alive and that he was a Buddhist. Bhartrhari's philosophical position is widely held to be an offshoot of the VyÃÂkaraá¹Âa or grammarian school, closely allied to the realism of the Nyayas and distinctly opposed to Buddhist positions such as those of Dignaga, who was closer to phenomenalism.
Bhartrhari is known for his work in the philosophy of language, particularly his theories articulated in the VÃÂkyapadëya ("Treatise on Sentences and Words"). This text is a comprehensive study of grammar and its metaphysical foundations. Bhartrhari's philosophy is marked by the concept of "Shabda-Brahman", which holds that the ultimate reality is expressed through words. He posited that language and cognition are linked and that by understanding grammar one can attain spiritual liberation.
In the VÃÂkyapadëya, Bhartá¹Âhari writes regarding svasamvedana, arguing that a cognition cannot be the content of another cognition. In verse 3.1.106 he explains why a cognition cannot be objectified using an example of light: "as a source of light is never illuminated by another one, likewise a cognition is never cognised by another one." He also writes that a cognition is always perceived at the same time of the cognition of its content. This explanation avoids infinite regress caused if a second order cognition was needed for the first cognition.
Bhartrhari is best known for his work in the philosophy of language. He wrote four books on grammar (vyÃÂkaraá¹Âa): VÃÂkyapadëya, MahÃÂbhÃÂá¹£yatikà(an early sub-commentary on Patanjali's VyÃÂkaraá¹Âa-MahÃÂbhÃÂá¹£ya), VÃÂkyapadëyavá¹Âtti (commentary on VÃÂkyapadëya kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âas 1 and 2), and à ÂabdadhÃÂtusamëká¹£ÃÂ. As a poet, he also wrote the à Âatakatraya, or à Âataka, a three-part collection of 300 verses.
The VÃÂkyapadëya, also known as TrikÃÂá¹Âá¸Âë (three books), is an Indian linguistic treatise on the philosophy of language, grammar, and semantics. It is divided into 3 main sections (or kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa): Brahma-kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa (Book of Brahman), VÃÂkya-kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa (Book of Sentences), and Pada-kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa (Book of Words), and contains about 635 verses. The Brahma-kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa treats the metaphysical aspects of language. The VÃÂkya-kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa deals with sentence structure and the relationship between its components. The Pada-kÃÂá¹Âá¸Âa focuses on the meaning of words, phonetics, morphology, and semantics.
Bhartrhari's philosophy is centred around the concept of "sphoá¹Âa". He believed that sphoá¹Âa carries the meaning of the word(s) and is revealed to the listener upon hearing the word(s). Unlike Patanjali, Bhatrihari applies the term sphoá¹Âa to each element of the utterance, vará¹Âa (vará¹Âasphoá¹Âa; the letter or syllable), pada (padasphoá¹Âa; the word), and vÃÂkya (vÃÂkyasphoá¹Âa; the sentence).
The MahÃÂbhÃÂá¹£yatikÃÂ, also known as Tripadi or Mahabhashyadipika, is a commentary on Patanjali's Mahabhashya, which itself is a commentary on PÃÂá¹Âini's Aá¹£á¹ÂÃÂdhyÃÂyë. Bhartrhari analyses grammatical rules and explores the metaphysical and epistemological aspects of language. Within this text, Bhartrhari also discusses the connection between words and their meanings, which is further elaborated in the VÃÂkyapadëya. This text is studied by Sanskrit grammarians and philosophers.
The à Âatakatraya ("Three Centuries": à Âataka, "century"; traya, "three") consists of three collections of 100 verses each. The collections are Niti à Âataka (Ethics, which details principles of righteous living)<u>,</u> à Âringara à Âataka (Love, which details the complexities of love and relationships), and Vairagya à Âataka (Detachment, a reflection of Bhartrhari's renunciation). The date of composition is unknown but it is believed to have been written over the course of Bhartrhari's life. Bhartrhari uses various poetic devices including metaphors, similes, and paradoxes to convey complex ideas.
Bhartrhari's works have been studied in various Indian philosophical traditions, including Vedanta and Mimamsa. Islamic and Western scholars have also shown interest through various translations and commentaries.
In the field of Indian poetics, Bhartrhari's à Âatakatraya continues to be revered and studied. The à Âatakatraya has been translated into many languages, affording access to a global audience.