| Summary: | <p>This thesis examines the revival of the <em>sphoṭa</em> doctrine in early modern Benares and &Sacute;eṣakṛṣṇa's <em>Sphoṭatattvanir&umacr;paṇa</em> as an influential work in that revival. The <em>sphoṭa</em> doctrine is the richest contribution of the grammarians to the philosophy of language, but its semantic significance was not highlighted until late, because its theological implication was stronger. &Sacute;eṣakṛṣṇa was a renowned Sanskrit grammarian who flourished in sixteenth-century Benares. He also wrote poetry and Dharma&sacute;āstric works, and played an important role as a juridical authority. Despite his illustrious career, &Sacute;eṣakṛṣṇa encountered criticism for his works from contemporary critics. The only work he wrote solely on the philosophy of language was the <em>Sphoṭatattvanir&umacr;paṇa</em>. As the first discrete work on <em>sphoṭa</em> by a grammarian, the <em>Sphoṭatattvanir&umacr;paṇa</em> represented an important landmark in the later expositions of the doctrine of <em>sphoṭa</em> particularly because it renewed the later grammarians' interest in <em>sphoṭa</em>, which then resulted in a series of individual works of a similar sort. The revival of the <em>sphoṭa</em> doctrine in early modern Benares coincided with that of the philosophy of language, which was caused by a number of social and intellectual factors in different proportions and phases. &Sacute;eṣakṛṣṇa's <em>Sphoṭatattvanir&umacr;paṇa</em> emerged on the eve of that revival, and can be recognized as a pioneer work in terms of its revitalization of the grammarians' interpretation of <em>sphoṭa</em> after a period of dormancy, and its influence on later works on <em>sphoṭa</em>.</p>
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