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CHAPTER XI
353
Here again the Jaina strikes the balance between the two extremes and maintains that reality is both expressible and inexpressible, and, that there is no contradiction in holding this position since reality is so from different points of view.' It is in defence of this position that the Jaina view of the relation between a word and its meaning comes into the picture.
According to syādvādin one word expresses one meaning only. The relationship between a word and its meaning is designated by the Jaina as vācyavācakaniyama or ekārthatvaniyama", and, by some non-Jaina writers, on the subject, as nănāśabdavāda'. Both these designations affirm their common essential conviction that a word, which appears to convey more meanings than one, is to be treated, not as one word, but as as many words as the number of meanings it appears
1.
Expressibility is a consecutive possibility and inexpressibility is an attempt at a co-presentation and, therefore, is a verbal
impossibility. 2. Commenting on his own kā, viz., arpaņabhedādavirodhaḥ pitr
putrādisambandhavat, Akalanka writes : tadyathā ekasya devadattasya jātikularūpasamjñāvyapadeśavisistasya pitā putro bhrātā bhāgineya ityevamprakārāḥ sambandha janyajanakatvādiśaktyarpanabhedāt na virudhyantel na hyekāpekṣayā piteti seşāpekṣayāpi pitā bhavati/ śeşāpekṣayā tu putrādivyapadeśabhäk/ na ca pitāputrādikȚtam sambandhabahutvam devadattaikasya na/ virudhyatetadvad astitvādayo na yānti virodham ekatra/ TRAG, p. 26.
3. See SBT, p. 61. 4. Although their actual designation is not used Vidyānanda ex
presses its meaning in the following statement : sabdasya ca prativişayaṁ mānatvāt sarvaguņānām ekaśabdavācyatāyāṁ sarvärthānām ekaśabdavācyatāpatteḥ sabdāntaravaiphalyāt/ TSV, p. 136.
