Sabdabodhamimamsa, An Inquiry into Indian Theories of Verbal Cognition: Subantapadarthavicaratmakah trtiyo bhagah.

• Author: Cardona, George
• Position: Sabdabodhamimamsa, An Inquiry into Indian Theories of Verbal Cognition: Subantapadarthavicaratmakah Trtiyo Bhagah, Part 3: Nominal Stems and Their Significance - Book review

Sabdabodhamimamsa, An Inquiry into Indian Theories of Verbal Cognition: Subantapadarthavicarat-makah trtiyo bhagah, part 3: Nominal Stems and Their Significance. By N. S. RAMANUJA TATA-CHARYA. Collection Indologie, vol. 100.3. Samskrtavarsasmrtigranthamala, vol. 8. Pondicherry: INSTITUT FRACAIS DE PONDICHERY, RASHTRIYA SANSKRIT SANSTHAN, 2006. Pp. xi + 51 + 456. Rs. 250.

This is the third volume in a projected series of four volumes; for a summary of the series, see my review of the second volume in JAOS 128: 105-11. The main part of this work (pp. 1-422) is divided into sections covering discussions (vicara) of the following topics: the relation between word and meaning (sabdarthasambandhavicarah, 1-115), word meaning (padarthavicarah, 1 17-219), the meanings of particles (nipatarthavicarah, 221-98), the meanings of compounds (samasarthavicarah, 299-396), the meanings of taddhita affixes--commonly referred to as secondary derivational affixes (taddhitarthavicarah, 397-414), and the meanings of krt affixes--commonly referred to as primary derivational affixes (krdarthavicarah, 415-22). There follow live appendices (anubandhah): bibliography of works cited (udahrtagranthanam suci, 425-37). alphabetical index of verses cited (suban-tapadarthavicare udahrtanam slokanam akaradikramena suci. 439-44), index of terms explained (vivrtanam padanam suci, 445-48), alphabetical index of explanatory principles (subantapadarthavi-care vyutpattinam akaradikramena suci, 449-50), and index of words and utterances cited to illustrate verbal cognitions (sabdabodhartham udahrtanam padanam vdkyanam ca sua, 451-56). Preceding the main part of the book, and separately paginated, are a lengthy introduction (upodghatah. 1-35) and a detailed Sanskrit table of topics (visavasuci, 37-51). These in turn are preceded by a note (unnumbered) by Francois Grimal, head of the program, a single-page (unnumbered) table of contents in English, (1) Sanskrit summaries of the entire four-volume work (sabdabodhamimamsagranthasya samksiplaparicayah) and of this third volume (subantapadarthavicaratmakasya trtiyabhagasya samksiptam svaru-pam), (2) acknowledgments (krtajnatannivedanam, v), and a table of abbreviations (sanketasuci, vii-xi).

To provide readers a better idea of the range of topics dealt with and how this is done, let me summarize in somewhat greater detail the contents of the second major chapter, which deals with the possible meanings of words. This begins with a brief introductory discussion (117-20) in which Nya-yasutras 2.2.58, 60-69 are paraphrased, with illustrative examples. A string of sounds--subject to changes in grammatical contexts--with an ending (vibhaktyantah) constitutes a word (padam)(3) Such words are. to begin with, of two types, according to whether they terminate in nominal endings or verbal endings. A term like gauh ('cow, ox' [nom. sg. ])--consisting of the base go and the ending s--is a nominal pada. A dispute arises concerning what one should consider to be primarily signified by a nominal base in such words: an individual (vyakti). such as a particular ox or cow, a specific configuration (dkrti) that characterizes such a referent, or a generic property (jdti) that inheres in individuals and accounts for one's recognizing any given ox or cow as such. As stated in NS 2.2.67 (vyaktyakrtijatayas tu padarthah), all three are considered a pada's meaning, given that it is not appropriate to restrict reference to any one of them, since any of these can properly be referred to when using such a term. After summarizing arguments concerning these points, with examples, Ramanuja Tatacharya turns to an extensive presentation (121-34) of arguments given in the Nyayamanjari. (4) There follows (134-38) a summary of what is said in the Mahabhadsya concerning whether an individual thing (dravya) or a generic property (jati, akrti) should be considered the meaning of a nominal base. (5) Next, the position of Mimamsakas is presented. This begins (138-41) with a close paraphrase of what Parthasarathi (late eleventh c.) says in his Sastratadipika on the akrtyadhikarana (Jaimini-Mimamsasutra 1.3.30-35), then proceeds (141-47) to issues dealt with in Khandadeva's (seventeenth c.) Mimamsakaustubha on this adhikarana which Parthasarathi did not treat. Next comes a long section (147-63) in which are excerpted and summarized sections from the Tattvacintamani in which Gahgesa (ca. fourteenth c.) deals with Mimamsaka views. This is followed by two sections (163-73, 173-80) representing what is said in two other Nyaya works--Gadadhara's (seventeenth c.) Saktivada and Mahadeva Punatambekara's (second half of seventeenth c.) Nyayakaustubha--concerning the...