Abhidha

Author(s): Tapasvi Nandi, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 12

[3] implication (= i. e. either by anumāna or inference, or arthāpatti). Thus the meaning of go-vyakti is said to be "lāksanika", according to Mukula. He further observes that thus by the description of two aspects such as ‘mukhya' and 'laksaņika', twofold abhidhāvyāpāra of a word is established. The first (mukhya) flows directly from the word without anything coming in between, and is therefore said to be 'nirantarārtha-nistha' i. e. directly apprehended from a word. The other is termed "sāntararthanistha" as it passes through a veil. It starts from word goes through mukhyārtha i. e. jāti -- and rests in vyakti at the next step. It is 'sāntarartha-nistha' because it has antara=vyavadhāna, in form of first meaning which is jāti-rūpa.
Mukula accepts a four-fold division of abhidhā : (pp. 4, ibid) - samprati mukhyā'bhidhā-vyāpārasya cāturvidhyam abhidhīyate "tatra mukhyas' caturbhedo
jñeyo jātyādi-bhedatah” Mukula says that the Mahābhāsyakāra has suggested a four-fold classification of words in form of jāti-sabda, guna-sabda, kriyā-sabda and yadệcchā-sabda. When words operate to convey their meaning (svārthābhidhānāya pravartta-mānānām), they are coloured by the upādhis i. e. attributes — upadhyuparañita-visaya-vivekatvād upādhi-nibandhanā pravrttiḥ. This upādhi i. e. attribute is twofold, viz. vaktr-sannivesita, i. e. which is grafted by the speaker, i. e. which is not natural to it, and vastu-dharma' i. e. one that naturally resides in an object. The first is illustrated by such words as 'dittha' and the like. The form of such words is collected by the last letter — "antyabuddhi-nirgļāhyam samhịtakramam svarūpam" (pp. 5, ibid). This capacity to yield meaning is injected into a particular word by a speaker, who wants to flash the abhidhā-power of that particular word according to his own choice. — “tat khalu tām tām abhidhāśaktim abhivyañjayatā vaktrā, yadrcchayā tasmin tasmin samjñini upādhitayā samniveśyate.” (pp. 5)
It may be noted that as Mukula was posterior to Anandavardhana, he knew. vyañjanā very well and yet he willingly disowns it. He uses such words as "abhi-vyañjayatā' but he does not encourage 'vyañjanā-sakti' of a word. He only means, “making it manifest, or making it flash something."