1.2.12
Nyāya Sūtra / Adhyāya 1 / 1.2.12
अविशेषाभिहितेऽर्थे वक्तुरभिप्रायादर्थान्तरकल्पना वाक्छलम्
aviśeṣābhihite 'rthe vaktur abhiprāyād arthāntarakalpanā vākchalam
The line
Verbal quibble is the imagining of another meaning when something has been said without a specifier, departing from what the speaker intended.
नेपालीमा
वाक्छल विशेषण नराखी भनिएको कुरामा वक्ताको अभिप्राय छाडेर अर्को अर्थ कल्पना गर्नु हो।
Where it sits
vākchala (वाक्छल) from 1.2.11 is the kind being defined. vacanavighāta (वचनविघात) from 1.2.10 is still the work this kalpanā (कल्पना) performs.
Split: aviśeṣa-abhihite (अविशेष-अभिहिते) + arthe (अर्थे) + vaktuḥ (वक्तुः) + abhiprāyāt (अभिप्रायात्) + artha-antara-kalpanā (अर्थ-अन्तर-कल्पना) + vāk-chalam (वाक्-छलम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| aviśeṣa-abhihite (अविशेष-अभिहिते) | locative singular, masculine | which has been stated without a specification |
| arthe (अर्थे) | locative singular, masculine | in the case of a thing, a meaning |
| vaktuḥ (वक्तुः) | genitive singular, masculine | of the speaker |
| abhiprāyāt (अभिप्रायात्) | ablative singular, masculine | away from the intention |
| artha-antara-kalpanā (अर्थ-अन्तर-कल्पना) | nominative singular, feminine | the imagining of another meaning |
| vāk-chalam (वाक्-छलम्) | nominative singular, neuter | verbal quibble |
The phrases
The speaker says something aviśeṣa (अविशेष), without a mark that would freeze one sense of the word. A word such as nava can mean new or nine. Said of a blanket, the speaker's abhiprāya (अभिप्राय) is 'new'. The quibbler builds the other artha.
kalpanā (कल्पना) is that construction. It moves away from vaktuḥ (वक्तुः) abhiprāya (अभिप्राय), the intention of the person who spoke. The statement is then blocked. That block, done through the wording, is vākchala (वाक्छल).
Sanskrit in this line
vaktuḥ (वक्तुः) is the genitive of vaktṛ (वक्तृ). Before abhiprāya (अभिप्राय) it is recited vaktur. abhiprāyāt (अभिप्रायात्) before artha is recited abhiprāyād (अभिप्रायाद्). abhihite before arthe is recited with avagraha. aviśeṣa (अविशेष) is a nañ (नञ्) bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) on the locative abhihite.
Say it back
Give one example of an unspecified word, and say that the quibble leaves the speaker's abhiprāya (अभिप्राय).