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Śabda-vyāpāra-vicāra
137 For still others, speech and thought, or word and things are mutually convertible, and, there is also some reciprocality of causal connection between the two : V. P. III. 32. Sambandha-samuddeśa reads as .
"sabdaḥ kāraṇam arthasya, sa hi tenópajāyate, tathā ca buddhi-viṣayād
arthā cchabdaḥ pratīyate.” For some, again, sound and sense are essentially the same, i.e. they come from the same source :
"ekasyaiva ātmano bhedau
śabdārthāv apsthak sthitau.” (V. P. I.) This view is criticised by some who feel that in case word and sense are essentially the same, then one should experience burn while pronouncing ‘agnih' or fire. But this criticism is misdirected. What is actually meant by the view quoted as above is that one and the same thing gets manifested in different forms in which objects are usually comprehended by all beings. Thus quotes Punyarāja :-eko'yam śakti-bhedena bhāvātmā pravibhajyate, buddhi-vștty anusāreņa bahudhā jñānavādinām." He further quotes :
"śabdārthayor a-sambhede vyavahăre prthak-kriyā yataḥ śabdārthayos-tattvam
ekam tat samavasthitam.” i.e. word and meaning, fundamentally non-different appear to be different only in popular usage.
We will consider as below, different views as held by the Mimāmsakas, Nyāyavaiśeșikas etc. in greater details.
Mimāmsakas :
The Mīmāmsakas have seriously thought about this problem. Before discussing the relation as such between word and its meaning, the Vsttikāra (pp. 43) discusses in the beginning as to whether there is any possibility of there being any relation as such between word and sense. They, for sure, can not be connected by samślesa or samyoga i.e. association, because in that case, the utterance of a word, say ‘ksura' or 'modaka', could cut or sweeten the mouth respectively. This is not our
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