Language and Soteriology: Vedāntic and Buddhist

Abstract

<p>The body of this work consists of the study of the notion of language in Rg Veda, Sarikara, Pali Suttas, and Nagarjuna with perhaps the main emphasis of the work falling on the two philosophers mentioned. In each instance I have attempted to come to an understanding of the notion of language in terms of its relation to what might be described as "ultimate concerns", or in other words, those of metaphysical inquiry and soteriological endeavour. The main sceme that I work towards is a heuristic one, revolving around the bifurcation of language conceived of as "divine" in the Brahmanical traditions studied, and as "diaboligcal" in the Buddhist ones. However, this distinction, since it is an heuristic one, should not be pressed too far.</p>