Jaina Philosophy of Language

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 14

(xi) one meaning, in the similar way the comprehension of many different objects simultaneously from the word is not possible. Sabda, maintains Mandana, cannot refer to the individual phonemes because in themselves they convey no meaning. In common experience the whole word is the unit of language that is taken to be meaning-bearing. The common man takes a noun or verb to be a unity signifying meaning- without reference to the plurality of letters and syllables, which are the products of speculative thought. As such, we have to recognize the essence of a word in the form of sphota, which is different from words but which nevertheless, finds expressions in the form of terms and sentences etc. and manifest their meaning. In more philosophic terminology sphoța may be described as the transcendent ground in which the spoken syllables and conveyed meaning find them united as word or śabda. Mandana makes clear that it is the sphota or felt word-unity that is capable of conveying meaning and therefore, is the essential characteristic- without which it would cease to be what it is. This sphota is unique, one without the other. But it is described in various ways - like Varna-sphoța, Padasphoța etc. in accordance with the degrees of expressiveness. In Bhartphari's Vākyapadiya, we have systematic philosophical analysis of the sphoța. He, explaining the process of sphoța says that 'At first the word exists in the mind of the speaker as a unity or sphoța. When he utters it, he produces a sequence of different sounds so that it appears to have differentiation. The listener, though first hearing a series of sounds, ultimately perceives the utterance as a unity- the same sphoța with which the speaker began- and then the meaning is conveyed' (Vākyapadiya 1.44). Bhartshari has besides, mentioned three more views regarding word, which, accept word as mode of any substance:
Vāyoraņānāṁ jñānasya śabdatvāpattirisyate / Kaiścid darśanabhedo hi pravādesvanavasthitaḥ //
Vākyapadiya 1.107 These views regard 'word' as function of Vāyu(Air), Paramāņu (Atom) and Jñāna (Knowledge) respectively. (E) Word as a function of Air
Ācārya Pāṇini in his work has mentioned the successive origin of word in the following manner: