Jain Journal 2004 04

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

Page 57

258
JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XXXVIII, NO. 4 APRIL. 2004
the very beginning of the Bhagavati-sutra (Book 1, ch-1), Goyama, while Mahāvīra was at Guņasīlaka caitya in Rājagrha, asks Mahāvīra the very fundamental linguistic problem of calamāṇe calie. The text runs as follows:
calamāṇe calie. udirijjamāņe udīrie. vedijjamāṇe vedie. pahijjamāņe pahine. chijjamāṇe chiņņe, bhijjamāṇe bhinne, dajjhamāṇe daddhe, mijjamāņe mae, nijjarijjamāṇe jijjīņņc.
ee nam cattāri padā egatthā nāņāghosā ņāņā-vaṁjaņā uppanna-pakkhassa.
ee nam pasca padā ņāņațshā ņāņā-vamjaņā vigayapakkhassa. (Bh. Sū. I. 1. 11 - 13).
"[Is it proper to call] moving as moved, fructifying as fructified, feeling as felt, separating as separated, cutting as cut, piercing as pierced, burning as burnt, dying as dead, and exhausting as exhausted.”
"These [first] four words are of the same import, though of different sounds and different suggestions.
"These five are of different imports, different sounds and different suggestions"
Apart from its philosophical implication on Karma-theory, this passage has a linguistic implication as well. The expressions calamāņe calie have two tenses in one breath. Grammatically calamāne(moving) is a present participle tense implying the sense of continuous action; and hence it can be a present continuous tense. The implied underlying meaning is that the action has started but still continuing, and so the action is incomplete. But calie (‘has moved') is a present perfect tense which means that the action has started and has continued for some time and now the action in complete and the result is there, and hence it is completive. So the use of two tenses is not congruous in the same expression. Mahāvīra's contention on this sort of expression is that when an action continues for some time, it can easily be said that some portions of that continuous action have been completed and the remaining portion is still continuing, when the continuity of action is over, the action is finished, and so the action is said to be complete: and so the expression calie is used to indicate that sense.
In Book II chapter 6, it is said that language is the vehicle of expression (ohārini bhāsā). This expression has a reference to the