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CHAPTER XI
353
Here again the Jaina strikes the balance between the two extremes and maintains that reality is both expressible and inexpressible, and, that there is no contradiction in holding this position since reality is so from different points of view.? It is in defence of this position that the Jaina view of the relation between a word and its meaning comes into the picture.
According to syödvädin one word expresses one meaning only. The relationship between a word and its meaning is designated by the Jaina as vācyavācakaniyama or ekārthatvaniyama', and, by some non-Jaina writers, on the subject, as : nānāśabdavāda“. Both these designations affirm their common essential conviction that a word, which appears to convey more meanings than one, is to be treated, not as one word, but as as many words as the number of meanings it appears
1. Expressibility is a consecutive possibility and inexpressibility
is an attempt at a co-presentation and, therefore, is a verbal impossibility.
2. Commenting on his own kä., viz., arpanabhedādavirodhaḥ pitr
putrādisambandhavat, Akalanka writes : tadyathā ekasya devadattasya jātikularūpasamjñāvyapadeśaviśişțasya pitā putro bhrātā bhagineya ityevamprakarāḥ sambandhā janyajanakatvādiśaktyarpanabhedāt na virudhyantel na hyekāpekṣayā piteti šeşāpekṣayāpi pitā bhavati/ seşåpeksayā tu putrādivyapadeśabhák/ na ca pitaputrādikstam sambandhabahutvam devadattaikasya na/ virudhyatetadvad astitvādayo na yānti virodham ekatra/ TRAG, p. 26.
3. See SBT, p. 61.
Although their actual designation is not used Vidyānanda expresses its meaning in the following statement: sabdasya ca prativişayam mānatvāt sarvaguņānām ekaśabdavācyatāyāṁ sarvarthánām ekaśabdavācyatāpatteḥ śabdāntaravaiphalyāt/ TSV, p. 136.
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