What do Ancient Indian Cosmogonies Tell us about Language?

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to reconstruct the Vedic concept of language as presented in the Brāhmaṇas and to show that, according to the Vedic thinkers, language not only expresses thoughts but also it is a social phenomenon which cannot develop without a speaking community. It is argued that cosmos, gods and society divided into four social states (varna) can be seen as God’s language and that the creation of the cosmos and society conveys the concept of God, who not only wants to express itself in its creation but also to talk via various speakers. This would reveal the Vedic concept of language seen as the means of self-expression in discourse.