1.1.20
Mīmāṃsā Sūtra / Adhyāya 1 / 1.1.20
संख्याभावात्
saṃkhyābhāvāt
The line
Because there is no plurality of the word.
नेपालीमा
शब्दको अनेकत्व नभएकाले।
Where it sits
Nityaḥ (नित्यः) syāt (स्यात्) from 1.1.18 is still the statement these ablatives support. Saṃkhyā (संख्या) is number applied to the word. The word remains the subject.
Split: saṃkhyā-abhāvāt (संख्या-अभावात्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| saṃkhyā-abhāvāt (संख्या-अभावात्) | ablative singular, masculine | because of the absence of number |
The phrases
People say the word go was uttered eight times. They do not say there are eight words go.
That way of counting shows recognition. The hearer takes this hearing as that same word. If each utterance were a new product, the count would be a count of words. The absence of that count is a reason for one lasting word.
Sanskrit in this line
Abhāva (अभाव) is absence. Saṃkhyābhāva (संख्याभाव) is the absence of a count of distinct words. The compound is a tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) in the ablative of reason.
Say it back
Contrast 'uttered eight times' with 'eight words.' The first is what speakers say.