Process & Language

The present book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the semantics of verbs in Sanskrit as presented by Patanjali in his commentary, Mahabhasya, on Astadhyayi, 1.3.1 Bhuvadayo dhatavah. This portion of his commentary contains a skillfully arranged discussion of topics related to the linguistic units, known as verbal roots, or dhatu. A verbal root is the core of the derivation of any utterance in Panini’s grammar. In his vakyapadiya, Bhartrhair, a later Paniniya, defined the meaning of a verb as that which is conveyed as something brought to accomplishment. The author, by producing a meticulously documented treatment of the Mahabhasya and related works, shows how this definition underpins the semantics of verbs presented by Patanjali in his Mahabhasya.