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Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence)

by Sarath P. Nath | 2018 | 36,088 words

This page relates ‘Six Views on Sentence-Meaning� of the study on Vakyapadiya by Bhartrhari and his treatment of the Concept of Sentence in Language. Bhartrhari was a great grammarian and philosopher who explored the depth and breadth of Sanskrit grammar. These pages analyse the concepts and discussions on sentence and sentence-meaning presented in the Vakyapadiya, against the different systems of knowledge prevalent in ancient India (such as Mimamsa, Nyaya and Vyakarana).

󲹰ṛh tries to converge different ideas on the concept of sentencemeaning in the second canto of ⲹ貹īⲹ. The definitions of sentence, discussed by 󲹰ṛh, naturally points to the nature of sentence-meaning. ʳṇyᲹ, enumerates six views on the meaning of a sentence held by the followers of these definitions.

They are (Cf. ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.1-2):

  1. ʰپ,
  2. Samsarga [],
  3. Samsargavaśāt nirākāṅkṣo viśeṣāvasthita� 貹ٳ�,
  4. ṛṣṭa ٳ�,
  5. and
  6. Prayojana [prayojanam].

In the ṇḍ School, which perceives the sentence as indivisible into parts, the sentence-meaning is accepted as ʰپ. The followers of the remaining five definitions come under the ṇḍ School, admit that the sentence-meaning is the result of the aggregation of individual word-meanings. These views are to be discussed elaborately.

1. Vākyārtha�

For those who view sentence as the verb, meaning is in the nature of action or .

󲹰ṛh explains this in the verse

ntarādbhinnā Ծⲹ󲹲
prakrāntā pratipattṛṇām bhedā� sambodhahetava�
.
  �(ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.414)

In most cases, a complete sentence contains at least a subject, predicate and verb. There are sentences which have no parts other than a verb. In anyway, the verb or the idea of an action is an inevitable part of a sentence. 󲹰ṛh says that each action is different from one another as it is with specific accessories as its substrata (Ծⲹ󲹲). ʳṇyᲹ also describes the or action as ' śṣṭ', that which is particular or qualified. Thus is the key factor in a sentence which differentiates it from all the other sentences. It is again mentioned in this verse that when a sentence is heard, the listener first grasps the sense of action. But it cannot be argued that the other parts in a sentence except the verb are insignificant, as they are for the vivid understanding of the listener.

ʳṇyᲹ quotes another verse also in his commentary, the source of which is yet to be found.

pratibhā yat prabhūtārthā yāmanuṣṭhānamāśritam
phalam prasūyeta ⲹٲ� sā vākyagocara�

  �(ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.1,2).

Here it is stated that the in general is not to be treated as sentencemeaning. But the , when characterized by some qualifiers, gives the meaning of the sentence. The verb should be qualified with its accessories like (subject), Karma (predicate) etc and should give rise to indivisible sentence-meaning ʰپ. This qualified verb can only stimulate action. An action cannot be taken place unless there is a subject and predicate. If one says "close", pointing towards the door, we may understand that the door is to be closed. Here the verb is impregnated with the subject and the predicate. Thus the , qualified with these characteristics represents the sentence-meaning. This view is a sort of word-atomism, put forth by the Ա󾱻Բ School, which says that each word in a sentence represents a connected meaning.

2. Saṃsarga� Vākyārtha�

Among the definitions of sentence, those who believe sentence as the collection of words (ṅgٲ) and as the sequence of words (Krama), accept samsarga or the interconnection as the sentence-meaning. According to this view, sentence-meaning is the interconnection of the meanings of the individual words. This view belongs to the 󾱳󾱳Աⲹ School, accepted by the ṭṭ School of īṃs.

This is well stated in the verse:�

ṃbԻ sati yattvanyadādhikyam upajāyate
ٳmeva ta� prāhuranekapadasaṃśrayam

  �(ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.42)

When a word is connected with another in a sentence, which is mutually expected (ṅkṣa) with the first word, an extra meaning over and above the individual meanings of the words is derived. This extra meaning cannot be treated as the meanings the words, but it is the sentencemeaning. In the expression ' ī� ܰṣa�', there are two distinct words ī�, which denotes 'courage' and ܰṣa�, which signifies 'a man'. When these words are uttered in a way they are mutually expected (ṅkṣa), it signifies 'a courageous man'. This extra meaning of adjectivalsubstantive relation, evolved as a result of the interconnection between the word-meanings, is the sentence-meaning.

This view is pointed out in the Ѳṣy, where ʲٲñᲹ states that the adjectival-substantive relation is different from the individual word-meanings, but it is the sentence-meaning:

"ⲹ岹ٰ󾱰ⲹ, ٳ�",
  �(under ṇiԾ, 2.3.46).

󲹰ṛh says that this view of sentence-meaning can be perceived in two different ways. The first view is of the universal or پ, which is supposed to exist in full in each individual of the species. Similarly, if sentence is said to be the collection of words and sentence-meaning rests on many words, then the sentence-meaning exists in full in each word. The second perspective is of number, which exists in the totality of the group. In this view, the sentence-meaning rests on the totality of words (ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.43).

3. ṛṣṭa evārtha� Vākyārtha�

It is already discussed the view that the sentence-meaning is samsarga or the interconnection of the meanings of the individual words. 󲹰ṛh explains this view in another perspective also. In the former view, it was stated that a word in a sentence denotes its individual meaning only and when the meanings of the words are connected together, a qualified meaning emerges, which is the meaning of the sentence. Here, in this perspective, it is stated that the individual word conveys a general meaning which is potentially capable of being connected with the meanings of other words. When it is actually connected with the other words, it really conveys a meaning connected with the particular meanings of other words. This view differs from the former in the manner that, the word meaning here, is so general and at the same time it is adaptable to all the particulars. The general meaning and the particular meaning are those of the individual word and not of the sentence and is not conveyed by ṅkṣ�, Dzⲹ and sannidhi. (ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.44-46). What is peculiar to this view is that, the ṅgٲ view is explained here, from the point of view of the School of Ա󾱻Բ.

4. Viśeṣarūpāpanna� Padārtha� Eva Vākyārtha�

Those who define the sentence as 'the first word' (ʲ岹ⲹ) and 'each word requiring the others' (ṛt󲹰 Sarvam Padam ṅkṣa), accept sentence-meaning as the connected meaning. According to them, the whole of the sentence meaning is concentrated in each word (ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.18). But here, we may doubt if the other words in the sentence are of no use. 󲹰ṛh solves this problem, saying that, the other words are not useless, but they make listeners understand the meaning better. If in the very beginning, a connected meaning involving an action and all its accessories are understood, why the accessories are restated in the sentence is also explained by 󲹰ṛh. It is for specifying the substrata of the powers of the accessories (ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.411-412, trans. K A S Iyer).

5. Prayojana� Vākyārtha�

ʳṇyᲹ states that for some, the sentence meaning is prayojanam or is in the nature of purpose. This is supposed to be common to all the views on the nature of sentence-meaning. According to this view, the sentence-meaning is neither derived from the interconnection of the meanings of individual words as in the school of 󾱳󾱳Աⲹ, nor is the connected meaning of each word as in the school of Ա󾱻Բ. Here, the word-meaning is the expressed sense and the sentence denotes purpose. What is understood on hearing a sentence is nothing but abhidheya or the expressed sense.

The sentence-meaning is the purpose, which fulfills the speaker's intention:

󾱻ⲹ� padasyārtho vākyasyārtha� prayojanam
yasya tasya na sambandho vākyānāmupapadyate
.
  �(ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.113)

The definition of sentence, propounded by Jaimini, who authored the ūٰ of īṃs, also supports this view.

He defines sentence in the aphorism:

"arthaikatvādekam vākyam ṅkṣa ced vibhāge syāt"
  �(īṃssūtra 2.1.46).

In this aphorism, the term 'arthaikatva' is explained by Ś in the sense of 'serving a single purpose':

"첹ᲹԲٱܱ貹貹ԲԲ",
  �(Ś’s commentary on the īṃssūtra 2.1.46).

Later īṃs첹 like Kumārilabhaṭṭa, Pārthasārathimiśra etc are also in favour of this view.

󲹰ṛh refutes this view, pointing out its defects. He says that if the sentence has no abhideya (expressed meaning), there would be no connection between sentences. Such connection is established only through the expressed meaning. He also mentions that this defect can be removed or solved according to the concept of Ա󾱻Բ (ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.113)

6. ʰپ Vākyārtha�

󲹰ṛh emphasizes on the ṇḍ School of sentence, which holds the indivisibility of the sentence and the sentence-meaning. 󲹰ṛh termed this all-inclusive and indivisible sentence-meaning as ʰپ. In the ṇḍpakṣa, sentence-meaning is not derived from the meanings of words in it.

󲹰ṛh introduces the concept of ʰپ in the following verse.

vicchedagrahaṇe'rthānā� pratibhānyaiva jāyate
ٳ iti tāmāhu� padārthairupapāditām

  �(ⲹ貹īⲹ, 2.143)

When the meanings of the individual words in a sentence have been understood separately, a flash of understanding takes place. This is the meaning of the sentence, brought about by the meanings of the individual words. In the School of Sentence-Indivisibility, though individual words and their meanings are considered unreal, they serve the purpose of bringing the sentence-meaning to the mind. In other words, they manifest the sentence-meaning. The listener receives the uttered sounds in a sequential manner and hence the meanings of the parts of a sentence may be perceived in the listener's mind. But as soon as a sentence, the complete linguistic unit, is perceived, a sudden flash of understanding takes place. This flash of understanding is termed as ' ʰپ'. The whole semantic exposition of 󲹰ṛh has been developed on this unique as well as original concept.

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