<i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of Pratyabhijñā
Contemporary scholarship has significantly advanced our understanding of the grammarian Bhartṛhari’s influence on the Pratyabhijñā Śaivism of Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta. One area that has been somewhat neglected, however, is the subject of relation (<i>sambandha</i>). Here, I examine t...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/7/836 |
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| author | Jesse Berger |
| author_facet | Jesse Berger |
| author_sort | Jesse Berger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Contemporary scholarship has significantly advanced our understanding of the grammarian Bhartṛhari’s influence on the Pratyabhijñā Śaivism of Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta. One area that has been somewhat neglected, however, is the subject of relation (<i>sambandha</i>). Here, I examine the influence of Bhartṛhari’s <i>sambandha-vāda</i> on the Pratyabhijñā school. As I see it, Bhartṛhari’s understanding of the holistic movement of <i>sphoṭa</i>—the practical process of ‘encoding’ and ‘decoding’ linguistic information—leads to a necessary reevaluation of the <i>general</i> logical form of <i>sambandha</i>, i.e., ‘relationality-as-such.’ On this account, Bhartṛhari articulates a basically <i>transcendental</i> conception of <i>sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>śakti-of-śakti</i>s’ in his ‘<i>Exposition of Relation</i>’ (<i>Sambandhasamuddeśa</i> [SSam]). This effectively means that one cannot designate the general logical form of <i>sambandha</i> in linguistic terms without also thereby changing its essential nature as such (cf. Houben: 170–4). I maintain that Utpaladeva’s <i>‘Proof of Relation’</i> (<i>Sambandhasiddhi</i> [SS]) leverages this insight into a series of pragmatic arguments to demonstrate that <i>vimarśa</i>, or recognitive judgment, is the true locus of relational action—i.e., unity-in-diversity (<i>bhedābheda</i>). In doing so, he effectively salvages a coherent understanding of relation as <i>necessarily</i> real (<i>satya</i>) from the deconstructive agenda of the Buddhist eliminativist, even though the referent may indeed appear paradoxical from the perspective of theoretical reason alone. |
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| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:42:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a04c5dbb2df43328a7409766f2a1e682023-11-18T21:09:22ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-06-0114783610.3390/rel14070836<i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of PratyabhijñāJesse Berger0Divinity School, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USAContemporary scholarship has significantly advanced our understanding of the grammarian Bhartṛhari’s influence on the Pratyabhijñā Śaivism of Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta. One area that has been somewhat neglected, however, is the subject of relation (<i>sambandha</i>). Here, I examine the influence of Bhartṛhari’s <i>sambandha-vāda</i> on the Pratyabhijñā school. As I see it, Bhartṛhari’s understanding of the holistic movement of <i>sphoṭa</i>—the practical process of ‘encoding’ and ‘decoding’ linguistic information—leads to a necessary reevaluation of the <i>general</i> logical form of <i>sambandha</i>, i.e., ‘relationality-as-such.’ On this account, Bhartṛhari articulates a basically <i>transcendental</i> conception of <i>sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>śakti-of-śakti</i>s’ in his ‘<i>Exposition of Relation</i>’ (<i>Sambandhasamuddeśa</i> [SSam]). This effectively means that one cannot designate the general logical form of <i>sambandha</i> in linguistic terms without also thereby changing its essential nature as such (cf. Houben: 170–4). I maintain that Utpaladeva’s <i>‘Proof of Relation’</i> (<i>Sambandhasiddhi</i> [SS]) leverages this insight into a series of pragmatic arguments to demonstrate that <i>vimarśa</i>, or recognitive judgment, is the true locus of relational action—i.e., unity-in-diversity (<i>bhedābheda</i>). In doing so, he effectively salvages a coherent understanding of relation as <i>necessarily</i> real (<i>satya</i>) from the deconstructive agenda of the Buddhist eliminativist, even though the referent may indeed appear paradoxical from the perspective of theoretical reason alone.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/7/836Indian philosophyrelationsBhartṛhariUtpaladevaPratyabhijñātranscendental argument |
| spellingShingle | Jesse Berger <i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of Pratyabhijñā Religions Indian philosophy relations Bhartṛhari Utpaladeva Pratyabhijñā transcendental argument |
| title | <i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of Pratyabhijñā |
| title_full | <i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of Pratyabhijñā |
| title_fullStr | <i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of Pratyabhijñā |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of Pratyabhijñā |
| title_short | <i>Sambandha</i> as a ‘<i>Śakti</i>-of-<i>Śakti</i>s’: Bhartṛhari’s Influence on the Relational Realism of Pratyabhijñā |
| title_sort | i sambandha i as a i sakti i of i sakti i s bhartrhari s influence on the relational realism of pratyabhijna |
| topic | Indian philosophy relations Bhartṛhari Utpaladeva Pratyabhijñā transcendental argument |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/7/836 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jesseberger isambandhaiasaisaktiiofisaktiisbhartrharisinfluenceontherelationalrealismofpratyabhijna |