Sanskrit and Reality: The Buddhist Contribution

The article is organized around the historical development of ideas concerning Sanskrit, language, and reality in Indian thought. The first section introduces the Brahmanical belief that Sanskrit, as the language of the eternal Veda, has a special relation to the structure of reality. Bronkhorst then turns to Buddhism, showing that early Buddhist Abhidharma analysis produced a theory in which composite entities, such as chariots, persons, houses, or other ordinary objects, exist only by designation or name. The discussion then expands to Mahāyāna sources, especially Madhyamaka and Yogācāra, where even dharmas are treated as empty, conceptual, or dependent on linguistic and cognitive construction. The article subsequently examines how these Buddhist ideas influenced Vaiśeṣika ontology, which accepted real composite objects while using Sanskrit as a guide to reality. Finally, Bronkhorst analyzes Bhartṛhari’s philosophy of language, arguing that his view of the relation between language, phenomenal reality, and ultimate reality reflects a complex engagement with both Buddhist and Brahmanical traditions.