When the primary meaning, or abhidhā-vṛtti, fails to render the proper meaning of a word in a particular context, it is abandoned, and a secondary meaning is sought that is related to the primary meaning in some way. As is stated in Nyāya-siddhāntamuktāvali, “When the speaker’s intent is not understood through the primary meaning of the words, then the indicative meaning, lakṣaṇā, is taken.”
This will be related to the primary meaning. For example: In the statement, “The Jiva Institute is situated on Jiva Road,” certainly the intent of the speaker is not that the Institute is actually on the road, because such a thing is not possible. Therefore, rejecting the primary meaning of “on the road,” one is expected to understand “beside the road.”
Lakṣaṇā-vṛtti has three divisions, called ajahat-svārthā, jahat-svārthā and jahad-ajahat-svārthā. Ajahat-svārtha means without giving up the original meaning of the word, as in the statement kuntāḥ praviśanti, “the spears are entering.” Here kuntāḥ, or spears, refers to the people carrying spears, kunta-dhārī. In this instance, the meaning of the word kunta has not been dropped (ajahat) but extended to refer to those carrying them.
In jahat-svārtha, the original meaning of the word is dropped, as in gaṅgāyāṁ ghoṣaḥ, where the word gaṅgā drops its original meaning as the river Ganges and is translated as the bank of the river Ganges.
In jahad-ajahat-svārtha, part of the meaning is dropped and another part preserved. The phrase tat tvam asi, “You are That,” is a famous example of jahad-ajahat in Advaitavāda. Here tat refers to Brahman and tvam to an individual being. The two have been equated in the above statement. Yet they cannot be absolutely equal if the literal meaning of the pronouns tat and tvam is taken. The individual being is a conscious entity limited by a material body, whereas Brahman is unlimited consciousness. If the two pronouns that refer respectively to Brahman and the living being are dropped, then what remains is consciousness, and that is what is being equated in this sentence.
When the primary meaning, or abhidhā-vṛtti, fails to render the proper meaning of a word in a particular context, it is abandoned, and a secondary meaning is sought that is related to the primary meaning in some way. As is stated in Nyāya-siddhāntamuktāvali, “When the speaker’s intent is not understood through the primary meaning of the words, then the indicative meaning, lakṣaṇā, is taken.”
This will be related to the primary meaning. For example: In the statement, “The Jiva Institute is situated on Jiva Road,” certainly the intent of the speaker is not that the Institute is actually on the road, because such a thing is not possible. Therefore, rejecting the primary meaning of “on the road,” one is expected to understand “beside the road.”
Lakṣaṇā-vṛtti has three divisions, called ajahat-svārthā, jahat-svārthā and jahad-ajahat-svārthā. Ajahat-svārtha means without giving up the original meaning of the word, as in the statement kuntāḥ praviśanti, “the spears are entering.” Here kuntāḥ, or spears, refers to the people carrying spears, kunta-dhārī. In this instance, the meaning of the word kunta has not been dropped (ajahat) but extended to refer to those carrying them.
In jahat-svārtha, the original meaning of the word is dropped, as in gaṅgāyāṁ ghoṣaḥ, where the word gaṅgā drops its original meaning as the river Ganges and is translated as the bank of the river Ganges.
In jahad-ajahat-svārtha, part of the meaning is dropped and another part preserved. The phrase tat tvam asi, “You are That,” is a famous example of jahad-ajahat in Advaitavāda. Here tat refers to Brahman and tvam to an individual being. The two have been equated in the above statement. Yet they cannot be absolutely equal if the literal meaning of the pronouns tat and tvam is taken. The individual being is a conscious entity limited by a material body, whereas Brahman is unlimited consciousness. If the two pronouns that refer respectively to Brahman and the living being are dropped, then what remains is consciousness, and that is what is being equated in this sentence.