Book Title: Facets of Jain Philosophy Religion and Culture
Author(s): Shreechand Rampuriya, Ashwini Kumar, T M Dak, Anil Dutt Mishra
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati
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Anekāntavāda, Nayavāda and Syādvāda 115
of synonymous words purely on their etymological grounds.103 The synonyms Indra, Sakra and Purandara denote, according to the conventional approach (rudhih, upacāraḥ) of sabdanaya, the same individual whereas they do not so if their difference in their etymological derivation is taken into consideration 104 Indra, for instance, signifies one who is ‘all prosperous' and the other two names signify one who is the all powerful and the destroyer of the enemies'105 respectively.
"Hence the difference in the roots" as a critic remarks in this connection "must mean a corresponding difference in the terms and therefore in their meanings." Had it not been for this standpoint a jar (ghara), in the opinion of an old writer, would become indistinguishable from linen (pata).
The truth of this viewpoint is based on the following two principles in the Jaina philosophy of language : The first principle is that whatever is knowable is also expressible. That is knowledge, or the meaning of anything in reality, is not possible except through the means of word.106 The second principle is that, strictly speaking, there can be only one word for one meaning and vice versa.107 Accordingly, several words which are conventionally supposed to convey one and
103. paryayasabdabhedena bhinnarthasyadhirohanat / nayah samabhirudhah syat....//
TSV. p. 273, ka. 76. Puryayaśabdesu niruktibhedena bhinnamartham samabhirohan samabhi rudha iti/PNTA, VII. 36, and NKC, Vol. II, p. 638. f.n. 1,
the extracts from Dhavalaţika and Jayadhavala. 104. 'sabdanayo hi paryayabhede 'pi arthabhedamabhipraiti, samabhiru dhastu
paryayabnede bhinnanarthanabhimanyatelJTBY, p. 22. Devasuri also confirms this : tannaikarthavacino dhvanayah santi, rudhih punaravicaritatadarthanamiti samabhirudhah / Nyayavatara (P.L. Vaidya's edn.) This writer contrasts rudhita-sabdas (conventional words) from vyutpatti-sabdas (words based on their
etymological derivations). See ibid., p. 74. 105. 'sacipatireko'pyartha indanas akanapuradaranabhedat bhidyatel indatitindrah /
saknotiti sakrah / puran darayatiti purandara iti/ Tattvarthasutra (with
Bhaskaranandi's Sukhabodha, ed. by A. Shantiraja Sastry, Mysore, 1944). p. 25. 106. Cf. ye nirabhidhana vartante arthah teşam sabdat parthakyena vastutvasiddhiriti
cet na, nirabhidhanarthabhavai... Datas ca sarve'-rtha vidyamanasvavacakah, arthatvat, ghatarthavaditi pramanai../ Nyayavatara (P.L. Vaidya's edn.), p. 80. Devebhadra also observes : pratyartham sabdanivasaditi/Ibid., p. 81. Referring to the interdependence (anyonyapeksa) of word and meaning Siddhasena Gani adds: yadi yathā vyanjanam tathartho yathu carthah tatha vyañjanam, evam hi sati vacyavacakasambandhoghatate anyatha na.. Tattvarthadhigamasutram (Kapadia's edn.), Vol. I, p. 24. On vyañjanam' and 'arthah' he remarks : vyanjanam vacakah 'sabilah, artho'bhidheyo vacyah Ibid. See also SHM on ga,
143, VBJ. p.90. 107. 'sabdarudho'rtho'rthārudhah tathaiva punah'sabdah/Nayacara (Kā. 42).
