Meaning in sabdabodha

Deciding Factors of Meaning in

Sadbabodha – an appraisal

JSRA Prasad

Department of Sanskrit Studies, UoH

विषयविन्दिः

शब्दः

शब्दिैविध्यम्

ऄथथः

शाब्दिोधः

ऄथथविषयकसंशीवतः

ऄथथवनणाथयकतत्त्िावन

तेषां परीक्षणम्

12/23/2009National Workshop on Sanskrit and Computers:

Getting Equipped with New Challenges, UoH

शब्दिैभिम्

आदमन्धं तमः कृत्स्नं जायेत भुिनत्रयम् ।

यदद शब्दाह्ियं ज्योवतरासंसारं न दीप्यते ।।

--दण्डी, काव्यादशेAll the three worlds would have been in complete dark, had sabda not been there as the illuminating light.

न सोवतत प्रत्स्ययो लोके यः शब्दानुगमादतृे ।

ऄनुविद्धवमि ज्ञानं सिं शब्दने भासते ।।

--भतृथहररः, िाक्यपदीयेThere is no conception in the world which is not followed by the word. All knowledge appears as if threaded by words.



िाक्तत्त्िम् तथा शब्दिैविध्यम्

Source of classification of words started from

Rgveda, 1.164.45

Nagesa has attributed this classification with ‘परा-

पश्यन्ती-मध्यमा-िैखरी’

Yaska, the first etymologist, says - तद ्यावन पदजातावन नामाख्यात ेचोपसगथवनपाताश्च तानीमावन भिवन्त । नाम (noun)

अख्यातः (verb)

उपसगथः (preposition)

वनपातः (particle)




पतञ्जवलः, ऋऌक् सूत्रव्याख्यानािसरे –

चतुष्टयी शब्दाना ं प्रिृविः, जावतशब्दाः, गुणशब्दाः, दियाशब्दाः,

यदचृ्छाशब्दाश्चतुथाथ । (म.भा. 2)

1. गौः (गोत्स्िम् - universal)

2. शुक्लः (गौः शुक्लः - quality)

3. चलः (दिया - action)

4. वडत्स्थः (a name, known on convention)

Dandi attests him so –

शब्दरेैि प्रतीयन्ते जावतद्रव्यगुणदियाः ।

चातुर्विध्यादमीषां तु शब्द उक्तः चतुर्विधः ।।




नैयावयकाः – रूढ-यौवगक-योगरूढ-यौवगकरूढाददिमेण

शब्दचातुर्विध्यं न्यरूपयन् ।

1. रूढ (conventional) – विप्रः, गौः, घटः

2. यौवगक (derivative) – पाचकः

3. योगरूढ (derivative-conventional) – पङ्कजम्

4. यौवगकरूढम् (derivative/conventional) – उविद्

Viswanatha clarifies thus –

ऄन्यवद्ध शब्दानां व्युत्स्पविवनवमिमन्यच्च प्रिृविवनवमिम् ।

However, Kumarila says –

सिो वह शब्दो ऄथथप्रत्स्यायनाथं प्रयुज्यते ।



प्रिृविवनवमिम्

येन कारणेन यतय शब्दतय प्रयोगे प्रिृविभथिवत तत् -

प्रिृविवनवमिम् ।

प्रकृष्टािृविः प्रिृविः (िृविनाथम िोधन)ं; वनवमिं नाम द्वारम् = येन

धमेण यतय शब्दतय प्रकृष्टिोधनं भिवत तदिेेवत ।

= the reason for application of a word to an object

since pravrttis are different, accordingly pravrtti

nimittas are also different



ऄथथः

यस्मतमततूच्चाररते शब्द ेयदा योऽथथः प्रतीयते ।

तमाहुरथं ततयैि नान्यदथथतय लक्षणम् ।। (िा.प. 2.330)

एकतयैिात्स्मनो भेद ैशब्दाथाथिपृथवक्तथतौ । िा.प. 2.31

ऄतमात् पदात् ऄयमथो िोद्धव्यः आतीच्छा िा

आद ंपदम् ऄमुमथं िोधयतु आतीच्छा िा

Acquiring meaning of words can be of two kinds –

‘by self experience’ and ‘through a trust worthy

person’



शाब्दिोधः

is a linguistic understanding

knowledge of words, knowledge of meaning of

words, denotative function etc., contribute to the

above

Semantically, a meaningful sentence also should

satisfy these factors – अकाङ्क्षा, योग्यता and सविवध

The word शाब्दिोध itself is an example of योगरूढ

category

What is Semantics?

विकासोथथतय तिेदाः पररिृिेश्च हतेिः ।

एकानेकाथथसंज्ञानम् ऄथथविज्ञानवमष्यते ।।

-- कवपलः12/23/2009National Workshop on Sanskrit and Computers:


शब्दशवक्तः

आवन्द्रयाणां तिविषयेष्िनाददयोग्यता यथा ।

ऄनाददरथैः शब्दानां सम्िन्धो योग्यता तथा ।। िा.पय 3.3.29

Naiyayikas differ since, words such as devadatta

etc., do not have such yogyata. Hence, it is sanketa that performs the function of sakti

शवक्त is a part of िृवि

शवक्त = potency

िृवि = relation between a word and its meaning



शवक्तग्रहोपायाः

शवक्तग्रह ंव्यकारणोपमानकोशाप्तिाक्यद्व्यिहारतश्च ।

िाक्यतय शेषावद्विृतेिथदवन्त साविध्यतः वसद्धपदतय िृद्धाः ।।



ऄथथसशंीवतकारणावन

Natural languages are abundant of ambiguities

Metaphor, purport, polysemous words etc., cause

ambiguity in meaning.

Metaphor is widely accepted and numerous

polysemous words can be seen in Sanskrit

The polysemous word ‘Hari’ has more than fourteen

meanings

यमावनलेन्द्रचन्द्राकथ विष्णुस्मसहांशुिावजषु ।

शुकावहकवपभेकेषु हररनाथ कवपले वत्रषु ।। AK 3.3.174



Tools?

हरिर पश्य - How to resolve ambiguity?

Bhartrhari’s answer –

वाक्यात ्प्रकरणादथाात ्औचित्यादे्दशकाऱत् ।शब्दाथाा् प्रववभज्यन्ते न रूऩादेव केवऱात ्।। VP 2.314

‘Word and its meaning should be interpreted based on

the linguistic context but not merely on the word forms.

Tools such as syntactic connection, context of situation,

meaning, propriety, location and time are required to be

applied in such crisis’.



Deciding Factors of Meaning

अथाचनणाायकहेतव् -

संयोगो ववप्रयोगश्च साहिय ंववरोचधताअथा् प्रकरणं चऱङ्गं शब्दस्यान्यस्य सन्न्नचध् ।सामर्थयामौचिती देश् काऱो व्यविस्स्वरादय्

शब्दाथास्यानवच्छेदे ववशेषस्मचृतहेतव् ।। वा.ऩ. 2.315



उदाहरणावन

1. संयोगः (association)– सशङ्खचिो हररः

2. विप्रयोगः (dissociation) – ऄशङ्खचिो हररः

3. साहचयथम् (companionship) – रामलक्ष्मणौ

4. विरोवधता (opposition) – रामाजुथनौ

5. ऄथथः (purpose) – तथाणुं भज भिवच्छदे

6. प्रकरणम् (context) – दिेो जानावत सिथम्

7. वलङ्गः (indication) – कुवपतो मकरध्िजः

8. ऄन्यशब्दसविवधः (proximity of another word) – करेण

राजते नागः

9. सामर्थयथम् (capacity) – मधुना मिः कोदकलः



उदाहरणावन

10. औवचवतः (propriety) – पातु िो दवयतामुखम्

11. दशेः (place) – विभावत गगने चन्द्रः

12. कालः (time) - वचत्रभानरु्विभात्स्यसौ

13. व्यवक्तः (gender) – वमत्रो भावत/वमत्रं भावत

14. तिरः (accent) – आन्द्रशत्रुिथधथति



िाक्याथथज्ञानहतेनूां परीक्षा

1. 'िलोिरेण हररणा नागमल्लविभेददना ।

श्रुगालतसाम्यमाकांक्षन् शौयाथवधक्यं न विन्दवत ।। S.N. 2.9

A lion is powerful. When a jackal desiring

resemblance in strength with a lion which is

adequate to break the temple of an elephant, will not

equal with the lion, though lion and jackal reside in

the same forest, both have paws and both eat the

flesh of a killed elephant.

Deciding factors:

ऄन्यशब्दसविवधः, विरोवधता, विशेषणविशेष्यभािः12/23/2009National Workshop on Sanskrit and Computers:



2. शतैततमक्ष्णामवनमेषिृविवभः हरिर विददत्स्िा हररवभश्च िावजवभः ।

ऄिोचदनें गगनतपृशा रघुः तिरेण धीरेण वनितथयविि ।। R.V. 3.43

King Raghu plans for a horse sacrifice for the

welfare of the people. आन्द्र, thinking that He may

equal him in power after the sacrifice, steals away

the sacrificial horse. But King Raghu identifies him

based on some signs – ‘hundred eyes’, ‘without

winking’ and ‘accompanied by brown/tawny horses

Deciding factors:

संयोगः, ऄन्यशब्दसविवधः, कोशः, साहचयथम्




3. सौकयोद्यतया मूत्स्याथ दिानन्दः िसुंधराम् ।

आमाम् हररररिोद्धृत्स्य यः िभार वचरं भुजे ।। V.P.V. 19.26.4

When daemon हहरण्याऺ folded the entire globe like a

mat and thrown it in to the sea, god Vishnu incarnated

in the form of ‘Hari’ (pig) and lifted the globe out of

ocean and killed the daemon to sustain the order of

creation. King Surya Prabha who ruled the city

vakrolakam, was also happily rules his city such a way

that Varaha protected the globe with ease.

Deciding factors:

उपमानम्, अप्तिाक्यम्, िाक्यशेषः , ऄन्यशब्दसविवधः, कालः12/23/2009National Workshop on Sanskrit and Computers:


Grammar is the central point to any language.

Knowledge of the sentences spoken by a speaker or

the sentences penned by an author should lead the

hearer/reader to a proper sabdabodha.

Saktigrahopayas and the fourteen contextual factors

function as connecting tools between word and its

contextualized meaning.

Summary



तमरेम !

समुद्रिद्व्याकरणं महशे्वरे

तदथथकुम्भोद्धरणं िृहतपतौ ।

तिागाच्च शतं पुरन्दरे

कुशाग्रविन्दतू्स्पवततं वह पावणनौ ।।

THANK [email protected]



mailto:[email protected]

Education

Meaning in sabdabodha