Indian Logic Part 03

Author(s): Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Sanskrit Sanskriti Granthmala

Page 38

VALIDITY OF NEDAS...
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added to an injunction even in case it is actually not present there. Thus according to Jayanta, all the descriptive expressions quoted above by the opponent have to be interpreted as some sort of eulogy of the ritual concerned. For example, in that description of Rudra's weeping the tears are compared, to silver and the idea is that one who uses silver (not gold) in the ritual concerned will have weeping in one's house before, the year is over.36 Similarly, when it is said that sacrificial fire is to be set up neither on earth nor in the middle region nor in the upper region, the idea is that it is not to be set up on bare earth but on earth containing a piece of gold,?? Jayanta's understanding of the matter is essentially sound inasmuch as it rightly views the expressions in question as rhetorical expressions meant to praise a ritual.: :
Then the opponent discusses whether or not one should take into consideration the meaning of hymns recited in the course of a ritual. His own view is that one should not do that and his point is that certain hymns actually describe the ritual act in which they are recited, so that if their meaning too is taken into consideration a separate injunction pertaining to the ritual act in question should be redundant for example, if a man having sexes is walking under another, man's guidance the presupposition is that the former man is blind.38 To this is added that since the words of a hymn are to be recited in one fixed order there ought to be some super-ordinary efficacy in the very pronunciation of a hymn. Lastly it is pointed out that certain hymns, have apparently no understandable meaning whatsoeyer, 18 Jayanta, answers the opponent by submitting that it is no useriignoring the meaning of a hymn when it obviously has a meaning:" the former would made exception only in the case of sych hymns as are expressly meant to be just muttered. As for the opponentia submission that certain hymns describe the ritual act in which they are recited Jayanta's reply is that that is no reason why their meaning, should be ignored, the latter's point, being that a hymp can well repeat what the injunction concerned has already laid down (hiş alternative suggestion is that a hymn refers to the concerned, ritual act in the same mannen as a descriptive expression does or that it refers to this act by way of supplying some additional information). As for the opponent's submission that a hymn has to be recited in one fixed order, Jayanta's reply again is that that is no reason why its meaning should be ignored, the