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Chapter 4
The Jaina Philosophy of Sentence
A sentence is an important unit of linguistic expression. A sentence is generally defined to be a collection of individual words, which culminate in and lead to a judgement consisting of concepts, brought into a relation with one another. Therefore, a sentence is nothing but the different individual words put in a certain juxtaposition and competent to express meaning which by virtue of their compatibility and harmony with one another cohere into one judgement. This definition of sentence is more or less endorsed by common sense. However, there is a difference of opinion among different philosophers regarding the definition of a sentence. In the present chapter, we will first discuss the nature of sentence as propounded by the Jainācāryas and afterwards we will try to understand the views of other philophers and the Jaina reactions to them. Finally, we will discuss as to how for the Jaina formulations are logical.
Jaina contention of Sentence
Prabhäcandra in his Prameya-kamala-mārtaṇḍa states that 'in order to make the denotation more clear, the non-relative unit of terms put as relative to each other, is called sentence." In this definition of a sentence, two things are clear. Firstly, the terms, which make the sentence, are mutually relative to each other to make their denotation comprehended and secondly, the sentence constructed by these words or terms depends on none, in order to express its meaning. The sentence, in other words, is capable itself in making the person to understand its meaning. But the terms lack such a capability. It is only when the relative terms together make a group, which can express its meaning independently, there emerges a sentence. In short, the sentence is a non-relative group of relative terms. The crux of (the structure of) a sentences is the relativity of its terms along with its own-non-relativity. Terms of a sentence need each other. It appears incomplete without the other. The term, which needs the other
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