Principles of Meaning Determination

in Sanskrit Grammatical Tradition

Important thinkers

• Yaska (7th century BC) - Nirukta

• Panini (5th century BC) - Astadhyayi

• Shakalya - Padapatha

• Bhartrhari (5th century AD)- Vakyapadiya

• Nagesa (18th century AD)-Manjusha, Shekhara, Udyota, Sphotavada etc.

Tradition of Poetics

• Bhamaha- Kavyalamkara

• Anandavardhana-Dhvanyaloka

• Mammata- Kavyaprakasha

• Vishvanatha- SahityaDarpana

• Jagannatha- Rasagangadhara

Tradition of Logicians

• Gangesa- Tattvacintamani

• Raghunatha-Didhiti

• Jayanta-Nyayamanjari

• Udayana-Nyayakusumanjali

• Jagadisa- Shaktivada,Vyutpattivada.

Tradition of Hermenuticians

• Kumarila-Sloka/tantra-vartiika

• Vacaspati- Shastradipika

• Khandadeva-Bhattarahasya, Bhattadipika etc.

Word- Meaning relation

• Arbitrary

• Sanketa – sambandha.

• Knowing any language = knowing the sanketa of the sounds on the meaning.

• Means of knowing sanketa-

• Vyakarana, upamana, kosa, aptavakya, vyavahara, vakyasesa, vivriti, sannnidhya,

Techniques of Knowing sanketa

• Anvaya – association• Vyatireka- difference• Avapa- insertion• Udvapa- removal• Ex- gaam aanaya / (Bring the cow.) gaam badhaana/ (Tie the cow.)Gaam,gaam and cow, cow.Aanaya, badhaana asnd bring,tie

Means of the Verbal Knowledge of a human being

• Padajnana – knowledge of the sound

• Padarthajnana- knowledge of the meaning of the sound

• Sanketasmarana- recollection of the relation of the sound and it’s meaning

Types of Meanings

• Vacya – primary – verbal• Lakshya- secondary – verbal• Vyangya – suggested – verbal/non verbalEx- ganga – waters of ganga (vacya) -- banks of ganga (lakshya) -- association with coolness and purity (vyangya) (gangayam ghoshah – hamlet on ganga)

The concept of Anekartha

• Restricted to the primary meaning and the secondary meaning as well as the vyangya artha are not taken into acount when a word is said to have multiple meanings.

Classical debate

• Whether in such cases the word is one or many ?

• Some say that as many meanings, so many words. Even though the phonetic sequence is the same there are two or more words for two or more meanings.

• Some say one word having so many meaning.

Principles for resolving the ambiguity caused by anekartha

• Samyogo viprayogas ca

sahacaryam virodhita /

arthah prakaranam lingam sabdasyanyasya sannidhih //

samarthyam auciti desah

kalo vyakti svaradayah

sabdarthasya anavachede

visesasmritihetavah // Vakyapadiya 2.316-7

Samyoga

• Connection, conjunction, union.

Hari – vishnu, lion, monkey etc.

sasankhacakro harih – hari with the conch and the wheel

Union with the other word indicates that the meaning here is Vishnu and not others.

viprayoga

• Separation, disjunction, dissociation, absence.

Hari – asankhacakro harih / (Hari without the conch and the wheel)

The attribute indicating the absence of certain atributes shows that the meaning intended here is Vishnu.

Sahacarya

• Association, society.

Arjuna- son of Kunti, name of a king.

Bhimarjunau – bhima and arjuna

Association of the word bhima indicated that the meaning of arjuna here is “the son of Kunti”

Virodhita

• Opposition, contradictoriness.

Karnarjunau – Karna and Arjuna

The opposition factor indicates that Arjuna here must mean “the son of Kunti”.

Karna – ear, son of Kunti

The opposition indicates that here Karna must mean “the son of Kunti”.

arthah

• Meaning

Sthanu – a pillar, Siva.

Sthanum vande / (I salute the sthanu)

The relation of the meaning Siva is fit for getting connected with the action of salutation than pillar.

Prakarana

• Context (out of linguistic plane)

Saidhava- salt, a horse bought from the region of sindhu.

Saidhavam anaya / (Bring the salt)

Context – dining table

Saindhava means salt.

Linga

• Hint, clue. pura- city, body.

Devah puorarih / (God, the destructor of the pura). By the hint of the word god, it is clear that pura here refers to the city.

The reference to Lord Siva who destroyed the three cities and thus gained the name of Tripurari.

sannidhi

• Proximity of other words.

• Makaradhvaja- ocean, madana

Kupito makaradhvajah (Makaradhvaja is angry)

The proximity of the word kupitah indicates that the meaning of the word Makaradhvaja is Madana.

samarthya

• ForceUdara- stomach, belly of a pregnant woman

Anudara kanya / (A maiden without an udara)

Here it is not possible to have a human being without a stomach. Hence on the force of this state the word udara here must mean the belly of a pregnant woman.

auciti

• Propriety.

Mukha – face, facing

Patu vo dayitamukham (let the mukha of the beloved save you all)

Context- the husband has committed an error and his friend assures her by this statement saying that let facing your beloved wife save you. In the context mere face has no propriety as far as the action described in the context is concerned.

desha

• Place

Candra- moon, name of a king.

Vibhati gagane candrah / (The Candra shines in the sky)

The place mentioned in the statement determines that Candra must mean moon and not the king Candra.

kalah

• Time.

madhu- name of a demon, spring.

Madhuna mattah pikah / (The cuckoo intoxicated by madhu)

That the bird gets intoxicated in a particular period of the year namely spring is a known fact, indicates that the word madhu here means the spring.

vyakti

• Gender

• Mitra- Sun, friend.

• Mitra is masculine means Sun.

• Mitra in Neuter means freind.

The gender of the word will determine the meaning of the word.

Svara

• Accent

• Indrasatru – a person who is the killer of Indra, a person who is going to be killed by Indra.

• The accent on the first word Indra indicates the second meaning and the accent on the last vowel indicates the first meaning.

Determination of meaning

• 1. In a given entry, where a word has only one meaning.• 2. Where a word has more than one meanings.

In the first case, the principles of anvaya and vyatireka or avapa and udvapa play a prominent role in determining the meaning. However, it must be borne is mind that for the application of these principles one has to have a data on the usage. Vyavahara. That is why one must compare the relation of the word in question with the verb with which it is used, what case endings does it take etc.

• In the absence of such data, in an organised manner one has to take resort to the technique and the principles of etymology.

• Yaska is the founder father of the science of Etymology in Indian context.

• According to his theory, each and every word is derived from some verbal root. Thus he presumes that each and every word indicates some action related to the meaning of that word.

In the second case, the abovementioned 16 can be helpful.

It is understood that these 16 can be further classified into a few heads like-

• Context (Linguistic)• Context (Nonlinguistic)• Accent

Etc.

Example -1

• Agrani –

• 1. Leader ()

• 2.a charioteer

• 3.epithet of Agni

• 4.founder of noble path.

• Mano agranir bhavaty esham / (Mind is their leader)

• Vinirgatah sashvarathadvajagranih/ (The charioteer left with the horse, chariot and flag).

• So agranir vahnir ucyate / (That fire is called agrani)

Example 2

• Maana- Maa(to measure) + ana(means) = means to measure. Used in the context of offereing mana. This context

indicates that mana here means not exactly the means to measure but a connected meaning to it namely- measuring extended.

Then tallying with the verb with which it is used – IT is used with the verb dene. Give an extended measuring . That is to say consider somebody with extended measures.

That is greater. Thus mana can be glossed now as – biggerness.

(Mothepana)