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Reals in the Jaina Metaphysics
all sounds are modifications of matter, only those sounds which are due to peculiar collections of atoms giving rise to peculiar molecules called Bhāṣā-vargaņā have this capacity called Yogyatā. The Jaina's contend that all words have this supersensuous and natural capacity to signify all objects. In this connection, we have seen, the Jaina's compare a word with fire. Fire has the capacity to burn all objects but what particular objects are to be burnt by it on a particular occasion are determined by the circumstances prevailing on the occasion. In the same manner, every word has the capacity to signify every object in the world. But what particular meaning it actually has in a particular country is indicated by the Samaya or Sarketa which is fixed by the men of the country. This is what they mean by saying: - शब्दः सहजयोग्यता संकेतवलादेवार्थ प्रतिपादकोऽयुपगन्तव्यः ।
(FÀY HOTTIE:)
ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE
A patient consideration of the above different Indian theories about the relation of a word to its object will acquaint us with important problems regarding the question of the origin of language. In every language, as we know, there are many words which are pure coinings. These have obviously no sort of correspondence with the objects they are made to signify. There are other words however, in a language, the sense of which does not appear to be wholly dependent on the whims of man, but seems to have been determined by outside agency. Some thinkers maintain that all original words in a language were absolutely independent of human foistings. Just as to a primitive man, the picture of an axe itself conveys the idea of the axe, so all primitive words in a language were originally but imitations or effects of sounds of natural pheonomena. Man was more or less a passive agent rather recepient, when his language was being made for him by outside phenomena. "It is through imitation”, says G. Eduard Sievers "that all signification becomes directly suggestive. The first written
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