Jaina Philosophy of Language

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 61

Jaina Philosophy of Word : (35) and (ii) Vaisrasika (caused naturally). Präyogika words are those, whose sound is produced by the efforts of animate-beings while Vaisrasika are those whose sound is produced by mutual collision of inanimate beings. Vaisrasika words are necessarily non-linguistic while prayogika words are both linguistic and non-linguistic. The linguistic prāyogika words are of two types viz. Aksarātmaka (alphabetical) and Anakṣarātmaka (nonalphabetical). Among these two, the sound which is associated with letters/ alphabets are called akşarātmaka and the sound which is bereft of letters/ alphabets are anakṣarātmaka. The sound produced by inanimate things is called non-linguistic practical word sound. They are of five types: 1. Tata- word sounds produced by the instruments made of hide, e.g.
drum. 2. Vitata- word sounds produced by string instruments e.g. Sārangī,
Viņā, Sitāra etc. 3. Ghana- word sounds produced by hitting metal instrumente.g. cymbals. 4. Sușira- word sounds produced by wind instruments live conch-shell,
flute, etc. 5. Sangharşa- word sounds exerted by the friction/collision of two
inanimate things e.g. Jhanjha (an instrument played by the friction of hand-palms.
Though, by nature all above types of sounds are considered as non-linguistic but being produced through efforts the resultant sound can be changed into linguistic form. These types of instruments necessarily produce the musical sounds, thus, they undoubtedly deserve to be changed into linguistic form. As Dhavalā mentions, the words produced by Nagārā (a musical instrument) etc. are conventionally of the linguistic form.
Therefore, the sound produced by vocal instruments like tata, vitata etc. can be alphabetical to some extent. But on account of its illegibility it can not be included in linguistic word sound. Here it is to be remembered that the sound produced by the friction/collision of two things caused by living beings is prāyogika, whereas the sound emerging from the friction/collision of two things naturally, is called vaisrasika, e.g. sound produced by thunder, the sound of colliding clouds. It is totally non- linguistic.