Chapter 3 - Refutation of the second view (varṇavāda) on verbal knowledge

After the refusal of the theory of sphoṭa, the second view on verbal knowledge, i.e. varṇavāda is taken up for discussion. Its superiority to the sphoṭa doctrine lies in the fact that it does not postulate a thing like sphoṭa which goes beyond one’s easy understanding. This view lays stress on the varṇas and padas as the cause of the vākyārthajñāna i.e. the cognition of the meaning of the sentences arises from the cognition of the last varṇa in it by the sensory organ ear, which is much helped to do its function by the impressions produced by the cognitions of words and their meanings, just as the cognition of the last varṇa of a word coupled with the impressions produced by the cognitions of the preceding varṇas of the word generates the recollection of the padārtha.^[1] The varṇavāda is advocated by the Naiyāyikas and this view agrees with the statement of the Vātsyāyanabhāṣya.^[2]

The rejection of the varṇavāda starts with the question: does the last varṇa create the vākyārthajñāna after producing the recollection of the relation between the last word of the sentence and its sense?^[3] If this is accepted, the Siddhāntin says that at the time of the mental impression producing its effect viz. the recollection of the padārtha, the perception of the pada which happens to be the cause of the impression does not exist^[4] and no one can explain the existence of the cognition of the last varṇa in a pada or a vākya when one recollects the relation between pada and padārtha. It cannot also be argued that the vākyārthajñāna arises from the cognition of the last varṇa even without the recollection of the relation between the pada and padārtha as the experience of that padapadārthasambandha is of no use if it does not produce a recollection.^[5] Hence, it cannot be explained why one does not have the verbal cognition if one does not get oneself sufficiently acquainted with the import of the words which one hears. It cannot also be said that these three i.e. the cognition of the last varṇa, the impression of the padārtha and the recollection of the padārtha are simultaneous, in view of the fact that cognitions do arise in ātman only succeeding one another.^[6] The cognition of the last varṇa does not arise for the second time, at the time of the recollection of the padārtha, since its cause i.e. the saṃskāra (produced in the ear of the hearer by the speaker) which is charactersied as so fleeting and transient as the flash of lightning in a dark cloudy night.^[7]

It is not usually said that the last varṇa or śabda by itself cannot convey the import of the sentence, except through its cognitions. The cognitional unity of the last varṇa along with the impressions of the previous varṇas, padas and padārthas cannot be explained. Hence, this view is also described as wholly untenable.

In this regard, Śabarasvāmin, one of the old Mīmāṃsakas stated in his commentary, called Śābarabhāṣya as follows:

pūrvapūrvavarṇajanitasaṃskārasahito antyo varṇo vācaka ityadoṣaḥ.^[8]

In this way, the view of the varṇavādin is refuted by Vācaspati Miśra mainly on the ground that the cognition of the last varṇa along with the impressions of the previous varṇas, padas and padārthas cannot be taken as one unit at a time.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

pāramārthikapūrvapūrvapadapadārthānubhavajanitasaṃskārasahitamantyavarṇavijñānamityeke / Tattvabindu , p. 3

[2]:

vākyasthaleṢu khalu varṇeṢu uccaratsu prativarṇaṃ tāvat śravaṇaṃ bhavati, śrutaṃ varṇamekamanekaṃ vā padabhāvena pratisandhatte, pratisandhāya padaṃ vyavasyati, padavyavasāyena smṛtyā padārthaḥ pratipadyate, padasamūhapratisandhānācca vākyaṃ vyavasyati, sambandhāṃśca padārthān gṛhītvā vākyārthaḥ pratipadyate iti / Vātsyāyana-bhāṣya , 3.2.62

[3]:

nāntyavarṇaśrutiḥ smṛtyā nītā vākyārthabodhinī /
na smṛti stadapekṢatvādyaugapadyaṃ na cānayoḥ // Tattvabindu , p. 26

[4]:

sa khalvayamantyo varṇaḥ pūrvapūrvavarṇa-pada-padārtha-vijñānajanitavāsanānicayasaciva-śravaṇendriya-samadhigatajanma-grahaṇa-smaraṇarūpasadasadvarṇanirbhāsa-pratyayaviparivartī padavākyārthadhīheturūpeyate / Ibid., pp. 26-27

[5]:

saḥ caramapadatadarthasambandhasmṛtimādhāya vākyārthadhiyamādadhīta anādhāya vā / Ibid., p. 27

[6]:

na cāntyavarṇabodhitasaṃskārā smṛtiranubhavena saha yugapadutpattumarhati / Ibid., p. 28

[7]:

kṢaṇikaṃ sādhanaṃ cāsya buddhirapyanuvartate /
meghāndhakāra śarvaryāṃ vidyujjanitadṛṢṭivat // Ibid.

[8]:

Śābarabhāṣya under Mīmāṃsāsūtra , 1.1.25