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Theories for the Determination of Meaning : Naya & Nikṣepa : (101)
The Theory of Niksepa (Positing)
The Jaina philosophy presents two main theories regarding the meaning of words (i) The theory of Naya (Viewpoints) and (ii) The theory of Niksepa (Positing).
We have already discussed naya. Now we shall consider the niksepa. According to Upādhyāya Yaśovijaya, niksepa is that specific (verbal) construct which eliminates the irrelevant and applies appropriately the relevant meaning of the words as per context.'? In other words, niksepa is a particular type of composition of words or objects for proper adjustment and removal of the lack of understanding. In Laghiyastrayi niksepa is defined as that which applies the relevant and disallows the undesired meaning." In fact, the function of niksepa is to determine the meaning of the word in the same context in which the word is spoken. We use the word Rājā, for instance, in many a senses. Rājā may be the name of an individual, Rajā may be an actor playing the role of a king in a drama, it may be someone who happened to be a king in the past, the present king or the would be king. Similarly, we call a particular animal as cow and also a cow-shaped toy as cow. As such, it is necessary to determine the meaning of the word as per context. Niksepa makes us understand the meaning determination process. Pt. Sukhlal Sanghvi in his commentary on Tattvārtha-sūtra writes the chief medium of all the human conduct and transaction of knowledge is language. Languages are made of words. According to the intention of the speaker and the context, the same word may be used in different meanings. There are at least four senses in which words are used. These four are the four classes of words meaning in general. This classification is known as Niksepa by knowing which, the intention of the speaker becomes easily known.'
The Jainācāryas have mentioned four types of niksepa (i) Nāma (Name); (2) Sthāpanā (Projection); (3) Dravya (Substance) and (4) Bhāva (Attribute). 14
(1) Nāma-niksepa (Namal positing): It is the name given to a thing/person by the parents or some other individuals irrespective of etymological meaning or natural considerations. In Nāma-niksepa we neither consider the etymological meanings of a word nor the conventional one, nor even the corresponding attributive meaning. It is just to give a
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