Jaina Philosophy of Language

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 39

Introduction : (13) sleep in night for the revitalisation of body but bad to sleep in daytime due to laziness. Bhagavatī-sūtra mentions that when Jayanti asked Mahāvīra whether sleeping is good or waking? The Mahāvīra replied that for some living-beings sleeping is good and for some others to remain awakened is good. Sleeping is good for the wicked and bad for the moral.14 The function of analysis is first to clarify the relative meaning of questions and concepts by analysing them. In Anguttaranikāya, Lord Buddha says that a scholar knows both the right meaning (artha) and the false meaning (anartha) but one who accepts the right meaning, rejecting the false one, is known as scholar. 15 In this statement of the Buddha lies the crux of the contemporary linguistic-philosophy. The Jaina tradition also puts emphasis on the meaning rather than the word. A Tīrthankara is supposed to be an advocate of meaning. The today's linguistic-analyst also clarifies the meanings of concepts and words by analysing them, and explains them in context with the empirical world. Not withstanding the relative difference on the philosophical grounds, vibhajyavāda, as a method is similar to the linguistic-analysis and on the same ground we can very well say that it is a precursor of contemporary language-analysis. References:
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Tattvärtha Sūtra- 5.21
Tractatus-Logico-Philosophicus, Preface, p.3.
Philosophical Investigations, P. 38.
(i) Introduction to Logic by Copi, p. 33.
(ii) Samakālīna Pāścãtya Darśana by Dr. Luxmi Saxena pp. 153-54
'All Philosophy is critique of language.' Tractatus Logico philosophicus Bhagavati-sūtra, 1-1-11.
Bhagavai (Jaina Vshwa Bharati, Ladnur) 9-33-228.
Haribhadriya Vṛtti (story 126) pp. 208-209)
Nandisūtra, 84
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10. Dighanikaya-Brahmajälasutta, Pali-English Dictionary p. 156.
11. Sūtrakṛtānga, 1-14-22.
12. Majjhimanikāya, vol. II p. 469 (Subhasatta)
13. Anguttaranikāya, vol. II, p.48.
14. Bhagavati, 13-7, cf. Majjhimanikaya vol. II p. 175-177
15. Bhagavatiī-sūtra, 12-2.
16. Attham bhāsai arahā.....Āvaśyakaniryukti 192