Tradition and Argument in Classical Indian Linguistics

The Paribhasendusekhara by Nagesa (or Nagojibhatta)is the most widely studied text in the field of grammatical Paribhasa. Numerous commentaries have been written on it, including one by Nagesa’s pupil, Vaidyanath Payagunda. In addition, an excellent English translation was published more than a century ago by one of the most outstanding scholars of Sanskrit grammar, Franz Kielhorn. Yet the portion dealing with the Bahiranga Paribhasa, i.e. the most important Paribhasa and the one most extensively discussed by Nagesa, has, according to Bronkhorst, been misunderstood by commentators and translator alike. This is shown in the present book. In order to arrive at the correct interpretation of this Paribhasa as conceived by Nagesa, the text of the paribhasendusekhara is studies in great detail but other grammatical with the philosophy of grammar. Are also taken into account. Bronkhorst attempts to show that a recent text could be misunderstood by all who studies it. This has relevance for the whole of Indology, demonstrating that the much lauded teacher-pupil relationship cannot always be relied upon.