Jain Journal 2004 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 52

SATYA RANJAN BANERJEE:ANEKANTAVADA AND LANGUAGE
Here the intention of the speaker is to say that cowness resides in cow only; and so to say that you behave like a cow is contradictory. It can be taken as an example of gauni lakṣaṇā. The qualities residing in a bull such as jäḍya (senselessness) and mandya (dullness), are transferred to a man. The word go primarily means the jāti gotra, and as the qualities senselessness and dullness are associated with the bull, the transference of these qualities is indicated in man. The manysidedness of the meaning of go can be looked upon on the basis of anekānta.
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In a similar way, in the following example the contradictory position of words makes the sentence double entendre;
mā yahityapamangalaṁ vraja sakhe snehena sūnyam vacas tiştheti prabhuta yathāruci kuruṣvaisā pyudāsīnatā/ no jivāmi vinā tvayeti vacanam sambhavyate va na vā tan mam sikşaya natha yat samucitam vaktum tvayi prasthite// "(If I say) don't proceed it will be inauspicious; wander, my friend, my word will sound empty without any affection; stay (on) looks like commanding; do as you wish, will also mean indifferent; if I say I shall not be able to live without you, may or may not be liked by you; therefore, my lord, teach me what is to be told at the time of your departure"
The verbal forms like yāhi, vraja, tiṣṭha, kuruşva have a special suggested meaning other than the lexicographical sense. The root yā does not simply mean 'go', it has a special sense 'proceed' 'set out'. for a journey. The imperative indicates the idea of prohibition strengthened by the particle ma. Similarly, vraja does not mean mere going or proceeding, it gives the idea of wandering. Lexicographically, "wander implies the absence of a fixed course or more or less indifference to a course that has been fixed or otherwise indicated" (Webster's Dictionary of Synonyms, 1942). The imperative gives the idea of wishes. tistha 'stay (on)" "stresses continuance in a place" and so it implies the non-movement of a person. The imperative also implies 'command'. Finally, at the end of the series of actions comes the verb kuruşva which normally means "do whatever you like". This verb is used in a general notion.
The positive aspects of all these verbs have a negative side also. The implied sense of this passage, in the eye of anekanta, reflects the dilemma of the situation which will debar the husband from taking any decision for going. This is the implied sense of the passage.
The combination of sounds (or letters varṇaḥ) will give us infinite number of meanings. In the following verse the one letter n in