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** THE REVEALED WORD."
1085
TEXTS (2310-2312). “ IT HAS TO BE EXPLAINED WHAT THE Shabda', WORD-SOUND', IS
WHICH IS BEING PROVED TO BE PERISHABLE. (a) IS IT THE 'AGGREGATE OF THE THREE ATTRIBUTES' ?-OR (6) SOMETHING ATOMIC ? -OR (c) 'A QAULITY OF A kāsha'!-OR (d) SOMETHING IN THE FORM OY MERE Sound, AS APART FROM THE LETTERS? OR (e) SOMETHING IN THE FORM OF AIR, NOT EXPRESSIVE (OF MEANINGS) ? OR (0)
Sphota' IN THE FORM OF WORDS AND SENTENCES ? OR (9) MERE "SIMILARITY' OR (1) THE EXCLUSION OF OTHERS'?--ALL THESE MAY BE NON-ETERNAL ; ACCORDING TO US eternality DOES NOT BELONG TO THESE.HENCE YOUR REASONING IS OPEN TO THE DEFECTS OF (1) HAVING A SUBJECT' WHOSE EXACT NATURE IS NOT KNOWN OR ADMITTED, AND (2) HAVING A PROBANS' WHICH HAS NO SUBSTRATUM (OR BASIS)", -[Shlokavārtika-ETERNALITY OF WORDS, 318-321].-(2310-2312)
COMMENTARY.
The Texts sets forth the several views that have been held by various philosophers regarding the exact nature of Shabda' Word-sound' in the present context).
(a) According to the Sankhyas, Shabda' is held to be something con. sisting of the Three Attributes' of Harmony, Energy and Inertia.-(6) According to the Digambara (Jainas), it is something atomic; pudgala is Atom; what pertains to the pudgala, is paudgala, 'atomic'; i.e. consisting of the Atom-(c) The followers of Kanāda hold it to be a quality of Akasha'. -(d) According to the common people, it is something of the nature of mere Sound, as apart from the Letters; as has been declared in Patanjali's Bhäşya* Or, Shabda among men is known as sound whose meaning is well known':(c) According to the author of the Shikṣā, it is of the nature of Air, not expressive ; as declared by them The Air becomes the Shabda',- ) The Grammarians hold Shabda to consist of the Word-sphota and Sentence-sphota; as has been said by them- The sounds sow the seed in the Buddhi, along
Text 2311 presents what may be regarded as a 'literary curiosity'. Here we have a quotation from the Shlokavartika-Chapter on Shabdanityātā, Shloka 319. Kamalashila says, this represents the view of the SMikra that the Shabda consists of Air and is inexpressive'; the reading in the quotation being 'väyurüpamava. chakam'. The reading in the Shlokavdrtika itself, however, is payurūpo'rthavā. chakah', which makes the Shabda, "arthavachaka', sopression of meaning. The Nyāyaratnakara says this is the viow of the Shikad.-One or the otherTattvasangraha and its Commentary on the one hand, and Shlokavārtika and its Commentary on the other, must be wrong ; both cannot be right, as representing the view of the Shiksa. Pāṇini's Shikpd does not help to solve the riddle-On the face of it, the reading adopted in the Tattvasangraha appears to be wrong; as the subject matter of the whole discussion is the expressive Shabda, not that which is inexpressive.