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Sabda-vyāpāra-vicāra
203
Thus, we have seen that language is used both in a scientific mode in various śāstras or disciplines of thought, and also in an emotive mode in poetry. Scientific usage hovers round what we call abhidhā and gauni or laksanā, and the emotive use has vyañgyártha and vyañjanã at its centre.
We have tried to give an idea of how the ancients, i.e. the Mīmāmsakas, Vaiyākaranas, Naiyāyikas and Vaiseșikas and also Jain and Bauddha philosophers had discussed the problem of language and collection of meaning from a historical perspective. We have also tried to correlate this great heritage to the linguistic thinking of literary critics, the aesthetes. Thus the concept of śabdavrttis in different darśanas in its historical perspective is discussed by us in all possible details. The grammarians and the Mīmāmsakas were concerned more with the scientific use of language as they were concerned with topic of their special disciplines. Thus they restrict themselves to the discussion of only abhidhā and laksanā, or guņavāda. The ancient Naiyāyikas also, for the same obvious reason had no business to talk of vyañjanā. The grammarians of course, in advancing the doctrine of sphota, especially its manifestation, perhaps touched the fringes of vyañjanā and we have seen how Anandavardhana has ventured to make capital out of this to his advantage. Thus Anandavardhana and his followers advocate vyañjanā as a separate function in the field of poetry. Alamkārikas normally follow his lead but there have been some exceptions as we will go to observe. But even these so called opponents of vyañjanā are prepared to accept something else, with a different name, in place of vyañjanā, but certainly over and above abhidhā, and laksanā. We will go to observe all this in greater details later. But it must be confessed that the predecessors of Anandavardhana even in the field of literary aesthetics, such ancients as the great Bhāmaha down to Rudrata, had failed to clearly discuss the topic of śabdavịttis. So, if at all there is any recognition of vyañjanā in the works of these ācāryas, it is only veiled. We will first, try to discuss which sabda-vrttis and arthas, are exactly recognised by Anandavardhana's pūrvācāryas and what is their exact approach to the problem of vyañjanā. Then only we will be able to bridge the two ends, one of the thinkers of various disciplines and the other of Anandavardhana and his followers. After discussing this topic of recognition of various sabda-vrittis by the ancient ālamkārikas, we will pick up individual śabdavrtti such as abhidhā, tātparya, laksanā and vyañjanā, for detailed discussion.
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