1. PROJECT DONE UNDER THE SUPERVISION
OF
Prof KORADA SUBRAHMANYAM,
UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD,
BY
Kum R MRIDULA,
SREE SANKARACHARYA UNIVERSITY OF SANSKRIT,
KALADY.

2.  Without the encouragement of Prof M Manimohanan,
Head, Dept. of Sanskrit Vyakarana, and the blessings of Prof
Ch Satyanarayana, Dept. of Sanskrit Vyakarana, SSUS,
Kalady, I would not have been up to taking up this task. I
am ever grateful to them.
 I am greatly indebted to Prof JSRA Prasad, Head, Dept. of
Sanskrit Studies, UoH for permitting me to take up this
study as part of my project, and for providing the required
facilities and support.
 No words of gratitude can suffice to express how much I
have stood to gain under Prof Korada Subrahmanyam’s
guidance, as I have learnt so much during this short
duration from him.
 I wish to acknowledge the support extended towards my
endeavour by my Mother, Father and sister.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

3. 
What is Jāti?
The word Jāti is from the Dhātu – जनी प्रादुर्ाावे, with the suffix –
‘क्तिच्’. It is variously called as सामान्यम् or आकृक्त िः. In English it is
translated as class concept, generality, commonality,
universal, and so on.
What is Vyakti?
The word Vyakti is formed when the Dhātu अञ्चू
व्यक्तिमर्ाणकाक्तन् गक्त र्ु, having the Upasarga ‘क्तव’with the suffix ‘क्तिच्’.
It is variously called as Dravya, Mūrti etc. Individual,
manifest, particular, substance etc., are contextual translations
of Vyakti.
Amongst the Indian systems of philosophy, there has been a
lot of discussion regarding the nature and scope of
application of Jāti and Vyakti as Padārthas.
INTRODUCTION

4. Before entering directly into the Vākyapadīyam, the
Basic texts of Nyāya, Mīmāṃsā, and Vyākaraṇa were
relied upon to get a firsthand knowledge of Jāti. The
treatises studied were-
 Gautama Nyāya Sūtra and Vātsyāyana Nyāya
Bhāṣyam, with Prasannapadā commentary;
 Nyāya Siddhānta Muktāvalī of Sri Viśwanātha
Pancānana;
 Jaimini Mīmāṃsa Sūtra and Śābara Bhāṣyam;
 Śloka Vārtika of Kumarila Bhaṭṭa;
 Vyākarana Mahābhāṣyam of Pataňjali with Kaiyaṭa’s
Pradīpa and Nageśa’s Uddyota commentaries.
PROJECT OVERVIEW

5. 
 जात्याकृ तिव्यक्ियस्िु पदार्थः। (न्या.सू.)
Jāti, Ākṛti and Vyakti are the meanings of any word. Each of them takes a
primary or secondary status depending on the context, situation or intention
of the speaker.
(न्या.सू.) समानप्रसवात्त्मका जातिः। (or) समानज्ञानजननी जातिः।
 That which gives rise to knowledge of equality in many individuals.
(न्या.सू.) आकृ तिजाथतिलिङगाख्या।
 That which symbolically represents Jāti. It is nothing but physical form.
(न्या.सू.) व्यत्क्िगुथणववशेषाश्रयो मूतिथः।
 It is the matter which has specific form and attributes and is the basis for
qualities like colour, weight etc.
In the Nyāya Bhāṣya, it is said that there is अक्तवनार्ावसंबन्ध between these three.
The same is termed as नान् रीयकत्वम् by Nāgeśa in his Pradīpodyota. It means
that the trio of meanings co-exist in a word and no one meaning can exist
without the other two.
Navya Naiyāyikas believe that the word denotes the Vyakti qualified by the
Jāti/Ākŗti (जात्याकृक्त क्तवक्तिष्टव्यिौ िक्तििः)
NYĀYA

6. 
 Mīmāṃsā philosophy considers only Ākṛti as the import
of a word: आकृक्त स् ु क्तियार्ात्वा ्। (मी.सू.)
 Here both Ākṛti and Jāti are used in the same meaning.
Kumarila Bhatta considers both terms as denoting the
same, as the one leads to the other:
जातिमेवाकृ तििं प्राहुः व्यत्क्िराक्रियिे यया।। (श्िो.वा.)
The reason why Ākṛti is chosen over Vyakti is given in this
quote from the Śābara Bhāṣya –
आनन्त्यव्यक्तर्चाराभयां िक्तत्यनेकत्वदोर् िः।
न व्यिावाकृ ौ ु स्या ् सवामे ् समञ्जसम्।।
Since the word, having expressed the primary meaning of
Ākṛti, no more has the power to extend the meaning to the
secondary aspect, Vyakti is brought as the import by resorting
to Lakṣaṇa. This is what Kumarila says –
क्तविेष्यं नाक्तर्धा गच्छे ् क्षीणिक्तिक्तवािेर्णे।। (श्िो.वा.)
MĪMĀṂSĀ

7. 
VEDĀNTA does not accept Jāti. In the Vedic statement –
‘अग्नेरक्तग्नत्वमपागा ्’, the Jāti ‘Agnitva’ is depicted as Anitya or Non-
eternal. Vedāntins accept only what is eternal as real. This is
despite their talking about Jāti at various levels like Ātman and so
on.
BAUDDHAS also do not accept Jāti as the import of a word.
Rather they are Vyaktivādins. This is because of their theory that
everything is changing at every moment and nothing is constant or
same throughout:
सवं क्षक्तणकं क्षक्तणकम् / स्वलक्षणं स्वलक्षणम् ।
They view the concept of Jāti as only a mental construct.
VAIŚEṢIKAS call that which is enduring, common and present in
many at one instant as Jāti: क्तनत्यमेकमनेकानुग ं सामान्यम्।
Navya Naiyāyikas give a slightly modified definition –
क्तनत्यत्वे एकत्वे च सक्त अनेकसमवे त्वं सामान्यम्।
OTHER VIEWS

8. 
 Pāṇini took both Jāti and Vyakti to run his Vyākaraṇa. In some
Sūtras he uses Jāti while in some Vyakti is used. In some others
it is Vyakti qualified by Jāti.
 The Vyākaraṇa Mahābhāṣya encompasses the whole gamut of
ideas voiced by the Nyāya, Mīmāṃsā, and Vedānta schools
alongwith Vyākaraṇa itself. It is propounded in this great treatise
that there are 4 causal factors (प्रवृक्तिक्तनक्तमिािः) for any word - Jāti,
Guṇa, Kriyā , and Saṃjňā.
चिुष्टयी शब्दानािं प्रवृवतः – म.भा.।
ित्र वृवतश्चिुर्ाथ – मञ्जूषा।
The term Mahāsāmānyam has come because there is Jāti in all the
4. Jāti - Gotva, Guṇa - Śuklatva, Kriyā – a common Dhātu in verbs,
and Saṃjňā - Devadattatva.
In the Paspaśāhnika, Pataňjali explains Sāmānya as क्तर्न्नेष्वक्तर्न्नं
क्तछन्नेष्वक्तच्छन्नं, which is the same as एकत्वं and क्तनत्यत्वं told earlier.
VYĀKARAṆA

9. 
 In the Māheśwara Sūtra ‘अइउण्’, the अ denotes 18 types. This
is done keeping Jāti in mind.
 In the Sūtra ‘अकिः सवणे दीर्ािः’, Vyakti is meant.
 In the Sūtra ‘ स्यापत्यम्’, Apatya does not mean only one
generation but a Jāti of generations.
 The Sūtra ‘द्व्येकयोक्तवावचनैकवचने’, should have been द्व्येकेर्ाम्. But as
Jāti i.e., Ekatva and Dvitva are considered, this usage is right.
 Jāti – गौना हन् व्या, ब्राह्मणं न हन्या ्।
 Vyakti – गामानय, ब्राह्मणमालर्े ्।
 Ākṛti – क्तपष्टकमयी गौिः, मृद्गवकिः।
In Vyākaraṇa, Ākṛti is used in the sense of both physical
organisation as well as Jāti.
APPLICATIONS IN VYĀKARAṆA
AND COMMON USAGE

10. As a background to the Vākyapadīyam, Pataňjali’s Mahābhāṣya along
with Kaiyaṭa’s Pradīpa and Nāgeśa’s Uddyota on the following Sūtras
were studied:
• जात्याख्यायामेकत्स्मन् बहुवचनमन्यिरस्याम्।
Unity of Jāti and Dravya is discussed.
• सरूपाणामेकशेष एकववभक्िौ।
Co-existance of Jāti and Dravya.
• जािेरस्त्रीववषयादसिंयोगोपर्ाि्।
Deciding factors of Jāti.
• समर्थः पदववधर्ः।
Illustration in support of Jāti as Padārtha.
• अतिशायने िमबबष्ठनौ।
Definition of Jāti from the Advaitic point of view.
• िस्य भावस्त्वििौ।
Scope of Jāti and its relation to Guṇa.
• िदस्यास्त्यत्स्मत्न्नति मिुप्।
Sattā as the highest form of Jāti .

11. 
JĀTISAMUDDEŚA
 Now we shall proceed to the main content of the
Jātisamuddeśa of the Vākyapadīyam, and we will realize that these
Kārikas actually bring in all the ideas that were discussed earlier in
a comprehensive manner.
 Kārikas 1 to 19 discuss the nature of word meaning and how
it corresponds to Jāti.
 From Kārikas 15 to 18, the difference in viewpoint of
Vyākaraṇa and Nyāya regarding the status of Ākāśa is
pointed out.
 From Kārika 20 onward, Bhartṛhari expounds the need to
postulate the existence of Sāmānya.
 Through Kārikas 20 to 37 Bhartṛhari discusses the Advaitic
view and draws a parallel between the Nirukta where the
different actions are enumerated as falling into six types and
the concept of Sattā.

12. • When we consider the import of a word, some people hold
that it is Jāti, some hold that it is Vyakti, while some others
take it to be the Vyakti qualified by the Jāti. Whatever may be
the import conveyed by the word, the pada(word), artha
(meaning) and their sambandha (relation) are Nitya (eternal).
The same is found in the Vārtika – ‘Siddhe
Śabdārthasambandhe’.
• Every word first conveys its own Jāti of form, which is then
associated with the Jāti of meaning, Padārtha. Since the
association is so immediate and strong, we take the two to be
one. Thus every word conveys two Jātis, first its own form,
then of its import.
• According to the Vaiśeṣikas, Jāti cannot exist in Jāti –
‘Nissāmānyāni sāmānyāni’. But Bhartṛhari clearly states that
the concept of Jāti is there even in the word Jāti. Also, this
correspondence with the Śabda Jāti of the specific word, Jāti,
has to be established with the Artha Jāti, which would be Jāti
of Jāti.

13. • There is another Jāti, i.e., Śabdatva, which surpasses the
Śabda Jāti also, and applies to all those which possess the
quality of being a ‘Śabda’.
• Bhartṛhari follows Vājapyāyana’s view that the word denotes
Jāti, as does the Mīmāṃsā Sūtra, - ‘Ākŗtih Kriyārthatvāt’. But
there is another view too, endorsed by Vyāḍi, that the import
of a word is the Vyakti. In this case also, Bhartṛhari shows
that his method is consistent. If each word refers to the
particular, the possibility of the same word repeatedly
referring to different Vyaktis at different instances is
understood because the word refers to the common
characteristics of the Vyakti (dravyadharma).
• Hence the properties of a substance that are common in
many substances and serve to cognize the similarity amongst
them constitute the Jāti, while those characteristics that are
unique to a substance and serve to discriminate it from
others of its own class constitutes the Viśeṣa/Vyakti/Dravya.

14. • According to the Naiyāyikas, Ākāśa is not a Jāti as there is only
one space, found everywhere. Here, Bhartṛhari supports the
Vyākaraṇa standpoint that Ākāśa also has Jāti. Due to
association with different bases, Upādhis, we understand
divisions in space. It can be seen that Ākāśa is a common
characteristic differentiated by different objects it is associated
with, although space has no inherent divisions.
• The Vijňānavādins, the Bauddhas and the Jainas, deny the very
existence of Jāti and take it to be a mental construct. They say
that the common characteristic which we understand as the
import of a word is Jāti and the distinguishing feature as the
Vyakti.
• All entities exist only by interconnections in this diverse world. .
Unity, diversity, existence, and absence being relative terms,
can never be possible inherently in a lone entity, that is not
associated with anything else.

15. • All the powers such as dravya, guṇa, karma, sāmānya, Viśeṣa
and Samavāya, having different qualities, together help man
achieve his goals, not any singly by itself. They are all the
different aspects of the one Brahman, recognized as different
due to their different features.
• There is nothing that ever comes into existence which does not
have a corresponding Jāti. Even as an object is about to be
created, its Jāti is already at work, propelling the action,
impelling the causes to unite in the process of creation.
• Just as the reflection in water is still called a ‘face’ without
referring to the fact that what is seen is actually only water, in
the same way, the Manifests (dravyas), actually convey the
manifested i.e., the Jāti.
• Just as we can perceive different objects and their
distinctiveness without perceiving the sense organ itself as
driving the whole process, in the same way, the Vyaktis,
without being perceived uniquely by themselves still serve to
enable cognition of what they manifest, i.e., the Jāti.

16. • The Vyaktis are only instruments for the purpose of
manifestation of the Jātis. Jātis are not capable of
presenting themselves without the aid of Dravyas.
• Every entity has two aspects, one transitory and the
other permanent. The permanent aspect that
endures is the Jāti or class concept whereas the
transient features are the Vyaktis or manifestations.
• There is only one existence, which is real and
enduring, called ‘Sattā’. It is due to different
combinations and associations that this is
understood as having various categories like
‘Gotva’, ‘Aśvatva’ etc. All words are governed by
their specific limited connotations , as Gotva is
different from Aśvatva, but both are subordinate to
‘MahaSattā’.

17. • In Vyākaraṇa, this enduring feature of a word is the Prātipadika or
base, and the Dhātu or verb-root. Here, Bhartṛhari brings together
the terminology used to connote Jāti by the Naiyāyikas – as Nitya,
the Sāṃkhyas – as Mahat, the Vedāntins – as Ātman, and the
Vaiyākaraṇas – with the suffixes ‘tva’, ‘tal’, ‘ghaň’, ‘imanic’, etc.
• The essence of the Nirukta is given, where Yāska enunciates the six
types of action – Jāyate , Asti, Vardhate, Vipariṇamate ,
Apakṣīyate , and Naśyati .
• When the process of creation is on-going in the Vyaktis or
individuals, the Jāti that is conveyed is the Kriyā Jāti. After
completion of the sequence of actions, the Jāti that is conveyed is
‘Sattva’ or DravyaJāti That same Jāti takes 6 different forms in
different entities, as transformations of being, which is observed
only in sequence on account of its powers.
• The above said activities are observed only in sequence, as all of
them cannot occur in an instant. This is because the power of time
is inherent in creation, which leads to a sequence that enables all
created entities to appear and be known in a certain order of
succession (Paurvāparya ).

18. 
 In reality, there exists no such thing as time (Kāla), or dimension
(Dik). They are just instruments of measurement created by the
human intellect to comprehend the incomprehensible universe. This
topic is dealt with later by Bhartṛhari in his Kālasamuddesa.
 All words ultimately convey the import of ‘Sattā’. It is therefore the
underlying reason for any word to be ever used. Different words
convey different meanings as their ‘Upādhi’s (bases) are different.
Hence even a verb-root (Dhātu ) that denotes action also attains the
status of existence. When Jāti is manifest with sequence in time it is
called as activity.
 He is in agreement with the concept of Jāti in all the well known
systems of Indian Philosophy. For him, Jāti is real and existent as far
as this chapter goes. In the Dravya Samuddeśa, he proceeds to show
the Vedāntins’ view that Dravya is the only reality in the form of
Brahman.
 Thus Bhartŗhari uses both features, Jāti and Dravya, to describe the
One Reality.
CONCLUSION

19. ।।शुभं भूयात्।।