Verse 2.315-316

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.315-316:

संसर्गो विप्रयोगश्च साहचर्यं विरोधिता ।
अर्थः प्रकरणं लिङ्गं शब्दस्यान्यस्य सन्निधिः ॥ ३१५ ॥
सामर्थ्यंमौचिती देशः कालो व्यक्तिः स्वरादयः ।
शब्दार्थंस्यानवच्छेदे विशेषस्मृतिहेतवः ॥ ३१६ ॥

saṃsargo viprayogaśca sāhacaryaṃ virodhitā |
arthaḥ prakaraṇaṃ liṅgaṃ śabdasyānyasya sannidhiḥ || 315 ||
sāmarthyaṃmaucitī deśaḥ kālo vyaktiḥ svarādayaḥ |
śabdārthaṃsyānavacchede viśeṣasmṛtihetavaḥ || 316 ||

315. Connection, separation, association, opposition, meaning, context, indication, the presence of another word, (316) suitability, propriety, place, time, gender and accent etc, these are the causes of our determining the meaning of a word when there is no definiteness in it.

Commentary

The author now gives two verses giving a more complete list of the factors which help to determine the meaning of words. These may be quotations from some unknown work.

[Read verse 315-316 above]

[The Vṛtti and Puṇyarāja record that it is always sāmarthya = ability or capacity of the word which helps to determine its meaning when there is indefiniteness. The so called factors enumerated only reveal this capacity: Tatra kecit sāmarthyamevaikaṃ bhedāvadhāraṇanimittam iti manyante, yasyārthaprakaraṇābhyāṃ svābhāviko bhedaḥ samadhigamyate so'pi sāmarthyād eva. sāmarthyaṃ hi bahudhā pravibhajyate. (Vṛtti).

As for the examples of the different facts, the Vṛtti and Puṇyarāja give the same ones mostly. It is obvious that the latter has taken them from the former. Here and there the Vṛtti gives examples which are ignored by Puṇyarāja. It also raises some points for discussion which are ignored by Puṇyarāja. It is anxious to give an idea of the variety of views which existed in its day on some of the points raised. That is why the expressions: anye, anye tu, anyetvāhuḥ, kecit, kecidāhuḥ, yeṣām, teṣām, keṣām-cit occur in the Vṛtti in v. 315 and 316. The examples common to both are as follows—Saṃsarga = connection:—sakiśorā dhenur ānīyatām. Here on account of the connection between dhenuḥ and kiśora, a mare is understood from the former word and not a cow. Viprayoga = separation—akiśorā dhenur ānīyatām = ‘let the dhenu without its kiśora be brought.’ Here also, by dhenu a mare is understood because it is only a mare which can be without kiśora. Sāhacarya (association)—Rāmalakṣmaṇau. Because of association with Lakṣmaṇa, Rāma here means son of Daśaratha, Virodha (opposition) —Rāmārjunau. Here Rāma means Paraśurāma because of his well-known opposition to Arjuna. Artha = meaning and prakaraṇa = context have been illustrated under the previous verse. Liṅga = indication—aktāḥ śarkarāḥ = sugar mixed with grease. From indications found elsewhere it is understood that butter is used for mixing. Rāmārjunau can be taken as the example of the determination of meaning through the presence of another word. Sāmarthya = suitability, abhirūpāya kanyā deyā = the girl must be given in marriage to a good-looking person. Through suitability, one understands a good-looking bridegroom. Auciti = propriety, deśa = place, kāla = time have already been illustrated under v. 314. It is well known that in the Veda, the meaning of a word is often determined by its accent (svara).]