Sarkar, Kishori Lal: The Mimansa rules of interpretation as applied to Hindu law (Calcutta, 1909)

Preference
of Sanskrit
words in in-
terpreting
popular
sayings.

The words to
be understood
in their
general sense.
r <

264 THE FOURTH LECTURE.
lhe author answers : “(There must be some principle
regarding such words) as all words proceed from human
efforts and therefore, merit and demerit attach to
them.”1 2
“Man}’’ words to signify one object are not pro-
per.
“In such cases (/. e. when there are many vulgar
words indifferently applied to the same thing) the real
meaning is made out only by special reference (to
rules).”3 4
The short point of the whole of this discussion is,
that where there are on the one hand many vulgar
words and on the other a pure Sanskrit word applicable
to the same thing, the Sanskrit word being pure and
precise, should be adopted to interpret the language of
popular savings.
c In the other topic - that regarding the identity of
sense of the same words occurring both in the sacred
books and in popular language, the principle laid down
is, that they are identical in sense only as regards the
general denotation (Akriti). Bhattasankara reads this
Adhikarana as stating that, when a word has acquired
various shades of meaning, it should be understood in
its general sense which is one and the same. He puts
it shortly as follows :
“ A single sense bars many senses.”1

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2 I
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4 s

Jaimini. I. iii. 25.
Jaimini. I. iii. 26.
Jaimini. I. iii. 27.