________________
NYAYA AND JAINA EPISTEMOLOGY
clay model of a cow will be regarded as a cow. Hence they say it is not correct to maintain that a word primarily means only the form or shape of an individual in space. It is the universal class character which is the import of a word.
As regards the import of a sentence, the Jainas say that verbal testimony is required to be founded on syādvād.47 Knowledge of an object consists in applying an attribute to the object. Every judgement consists of an object and of features attributed to it and the correct knowledge arises when we have correct understanding of the relationship between the object and the attribute. According to Jainism, a definite determination of judgement involves both affirmation and negation. In this connection, the Jaina view of negation must be mentioned. According to them negation is real. Like existence, non-existence also is constitutive of the nature of a real thing. Non-existence is an essential adjective to a real entity. Buddhists, in their doctrine of Apoha, rightly emphasise the negative function of a word though it is not the only function. The Jainas maintain that a word has two distinct significances—positive and negative each of which is real in its own way. According to them, the pre-conditions of knowledge are that both subject and object of knowledge are real. There are reals which are the objects of cognition independent of cognizing self. Language expresses the thoughts of the speaker as well as the true relationship between the objects of knowledge. words are so related to the facts and phenomena of our experience that they signify the latter correctly and faithfully.
A word refers to an individual which is a combination of a universal and a particular. Thus, we have to accept the reality of universals if we accept that words have meaning as words mean universals..
