Of nominal stems and their significance
N. VEEZHINATHAN
SABDABODHAMIMAMSA — An Inquiry Into Indian Theories of Verbal Cognition, Part III — Nominal Stems and Their Significance (Sanskrit): N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya; pub. by French Institute of Pondicherry, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, 56-57, Institutional Area, New Delhi-110058. Rs. 250.
This volume is the third in the series under the project “An Inquiry into Indian Theories of Verbal Cognition” completed by Ramanuja Tatacharya at the French Institute of Pondicherry by bringing together the minutest details regarding each and every component of the Sanskrit language according to the Nyaya, Vyakarana, Mimamsa, Vedanta, and Alankara schools. The first volume dealt with the nature of a sentence and the sentence-meaning, the primary substantive in a verbal cognition and other related topics. The second was devoted to an exposition of the significance of case terminations (vibhaktis). This volume is concerned with an analytical and critical study of nominal stems and their significance.
According to the rules of Panini, nominal stem is a linguistic expression which forms the base for the application of case terminations or endings. It is a meaningful expression other than a verbal stem (dhatu) or an affix (pratyaya). Linguistic expressions ending in primary suffixes (krt) and in secondary suffixes (taddhita), those forming compounds (samasa), and also particles (nipata) which stand for members of the group beginning with “ca” and for the class of prepositions beginning with “pra” and which are known as indeclinables (avyaya) fall under the category of nominal stem. When case terminations are added, the nominal stem attains the status of a word. In the case of indeclinables, case terminations are added but they are elided.
Power of a word
The author first discusses the significative power of a word in conveying its sense — the power which is fourfold as “abhidha”, “laksana”, “gauni”, and “vyangya” — and then explains the significance of a word as to whether it is the universal or an individual, or a blend of both, and also the significance of the “nipatas”. In regard to compound words, the grammarians are of the view that a compound word as such has the power to signify its sense (ekarthibhavasamarthya). The Naiyayikas maintain that each component of a compound word conveys its individual meaning and later, on account of expectancy, they are related to one another (vyapeksa-samarthya). The nature and the significance of each of the compounds, viz. “tatpurusa”, “dvigu”, “karmadharaya”, “bahuvrihi”, “dvandva”, and “avyayibhava” are discussed in great detail from the standpoints of the Nyaya and Vyakarana schools. The significance of the feminine suffixes, the krt and the taddhita suffixes are explained. If the author’s approach is refreshing, the way he discusses the subject is striking for its accuracy, authoritativeness, and clarity. A superbly researched work and valuable in its own way to the expert as well as the general student of the philosophy of language, the book is in a class of its own.
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