Jaina Philosophy of Language

SR No.: 001601
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 2006
Total Pages: 168
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Language
File Size: 10 MB

Page 32

(6) : Jaina Philosophy of Language many serious questions regarding philosophy of language while establishing the testimony of the Vedas.
As far as the Jainas regarding philosophy of language are concerned, they had entered into discussion with the eternity and the meanings of words much later than Mīmāṁsakas, Grammarians and the Buddhists; nevertheless, the indescribability of Reality, validity of the statements, etc. are such topics of linguistics on which the oldest Jaina Agamas had thrown much light. Ācārānga clearly mentions the problem of word's expressive capability. In the tenth chapter of Sthānānga there is discussion on the truthfulness and untruthfulness of language. Similarly, the 'bhāṣā-pada' chapter of Prajñāpanā and the 'nāma-pada' chapter of Anuyogadvāra are very much related with the philosophy of language. Bhagavatî-sūtra also mentions some discussions regarding language. The debate regarding the problem of ‘continuous-past' (kriyamāņa krta) raised by Mahāvīra's son-in-law Jamālī during his lifetime which was also instrumental in spilt in the order, was also related with the philosophy of language. In the beginning of Bhagavati-sūtra and afterwards in the context of Jamāli episode there is detailed discussion on it. All these discussions may be considered as basics of the Jaina philosophy of language. Again the concepts of Nikṣepa and Naya are also there in the Jaina Āgamas. The basic purpose of these concepts is to understand the implicit sense of the statements of the speaker or his intention. Thus, these concepts are also concerned with the science of meaning and philosophy of language. Jaina philosophers like Pūjyapāda, Māņikyanandi and Prabhācandra have seriously discussed the relation of meaning and word in Tattvārthavārtika, Prameya-kamala-mārtanda and Nyāyakumudacandra respectively. We thus find that the tendency of the analysis of language available in Jaina Āgmas has been developed later on in the treatises of Jaina logic. In this essay we have tried to present it systematically. Problems of Jaina philosophy of language
Besides linguistical analysis, Jaina philosophy of language has dealt with the following fundamental problems like how does the language originate? What is its nature and structure? How does language convey its meanings? Is there any relation between word and its denotation? If so, then what kind of relation is it? Is the expressed meaning of word