When the Word Becomes the World: Śabdādvaita and the Linguistic Constitution of Reality

Bhartṛhari’s doctrine of Śabdādvaita as explained in the Vākyapadīya is a distinctive linguistic ontological doctrine which states the non-duality of word (śabda), meaning (artha) and consciousness. These three are identified as śabda-brahman in a unitary principle. Bhartṛhari’s ontology does not consider language as representational but rather understands linguistic manifestation as constitutive of reality itself. The paper contends that, even though Śabdādvaita is indeed metaphysically distinct, it is structurally similar to the twentieth-century key developments in the philosophy of language, especially those which challenge representationalism and emphasizes on the world-disclosing function of language. Through a comparative analysis of Bhartṛhari’s sphoṭa theory and the ideas of Heidegger about language as the “house of Being”, Wittgenstein’s meaning as use, and Derrida’s notion of différance, the study outlines similarities and differences between these thinkers around the concepts of meaning, temporality and relationality. While many Western thinkers remain trapped in the hermeneutic or deconstructive model; Bhartṛhari unfolds a non-dualist metaphysical theory where linguistic cognition and ontological existence are inseparable. The paper also explores how Śabdādvaita conceptually anticipates contemporary discussions in cognitive linguistics, semiotics and the philosophy of mind on language as constructing reality which shapes perception rather than only encoding pre-given realities. This paper shows that by situating Bhartṛhari within these interdisciplinary conversations without collapsing theoretical distinctions it can be demonstrated that Śabdādvaita offers a philosophically robust model for understanding the co emergence of language, consciousness and the world.