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BOOK II
THE TRUTH
PART I–THE METHOD OF INVESTIGA
TION
1--NIKSHEPA Nikshepa means naming an object which is done for facility of communication and reference. Words constitute speech, and speech makes it possible for us to communicate with one another with the greatest ease. No civilization is possible in the absence of speech.
Nouns are the names of objects. They enable us to substitute a mere sound for a long description. If we had to describe a thing each time we had occasion to refer to it, the process would be an interminable nuisance and confusion could not be eliminated altogether. Naming enables us to get over the difficulty. Hence all those who can talk use words as names of persons, places and things.
People name objects in four different ways: (1) at random (nāma nikshepa), as calling a man
Wolf, Oppington, etc.,
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