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This research study is concerned with understanding the concept of jati and dravya in the Vakyapadiya of Bhartrhari.

The concept of jati is crucial to the enunciation of sphota, the single most outstanding contribution of Vakyapadiya to the field of language study. The concept, already connected with the import of a word in Nyaya-Vaisheshika and Mimamsa schools, was brought into the field of linguistics by Bhartrhari. This book traces the development of language study from the Vedic period to the darshanas. It deals with the main contribution of Bhartrhari to the field of linguistic study and its impact on philosophy in general. It then presents a systematic study of the jati, dravya and bhuyo dravya samuddeshas in the Vakyapadiya, explaining all the karikas. It also views the concept of jati in the philosophies of Nyaya and Mimamsa, its development over the centuries and the necessity of modifying some tenets owing to the sharp criticism from other schools especially Buddhism. The volume includes relevant quotations from Sanskrit texts and makes use of important commentaries like the Prakasha of Helaraja and Ambakartri of Pt. Raghunatha Sarma.

The scholarly work will prove invaluable to scholars and students of Indology, particularly those keen on studying Indian linguistic philosophy with special reference to Bhartrhari.