Reals on the Jaina Metaphysics

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Shatnidas Khetsy Charitable Trust Mumbai

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Reals in the Jaina Metaphysics
THEORY ABOUT WORDS
Take the case of the Word, “Tree". As soon as we hear the Word, we understand the Thing meant by it. Indian philosophers raise the question: How does a Sound (viz. the word “Tree”) signify a substance ?
THE BUDDHIST VIEW
The Buddhist philosophers startle us by saying that it is impossible for a Sound to be related to its so-called object:
नार्थं शब्दाः स्पृशंत्यपि They ask: What can be the relation between a Sound and the real Object? They cannot be identical in nature. For in that case, either there would be no Sounds in the world but only Objects in it or there would be no Objects in the world but only Sounds in it. Then again, it cannot be said that a Sound and its Object are related as the producer and the product. For, if a Word could produce its Object, we would have got our necessary objects by simply using their Names: and if the Objects produced their Sounds, then this world would have been continually sounding. Next, it may be asked:—if there be a relation between a Word and its Object, what is this Relation? A Relation cannot be said to be identical with either of the two things related. The Relation must be other than the things related. But in that case, the question would be: is this relation eternal? This cannot be; because the related phenomena viz. the Word and the Object are themselves non-eternal. If again, the Relation be non-eternal the question would be: is this Relation same in all cases? If so, one Word would indicate all the Objects, which cannot be the case. If the Relation between Words and Objects be different in each case, we are to explain how the Relation itself which is extraneous to the phenomena related, comes to be attached to them.
The Buddhists bring another line of arguments against the theory of the Word expressing a real Object. The real Object is the Object of our sensation and nothing more.