The Kalatattvakosa is an indispensable tool for the Sanskritists interested in higher textual criticism in specialized disciplines of Åyurveda, Vyakarana, Jyotosa, Ganita, Darsana, Itihasa, Purana, Vastu, silpa, Sangita, Natya and Alankara, for it provides the necessary background in the semantic evolution of several technical terms within the holistic framework of Indian cultural heritage in a historical perspective. Volume IV contains the terms, 'which speak of both becoming and the being, material and nonmaterial, entity, substance and process', namely : indriya, dravya, dhatu, guna-dosa, adhibhuta-adhidaiva-adhyatma, sthula-suksmapara, srsti-sthti-samhara. The meanings obtained for these words in the vedic texts are taken as the basis and those in other disciplines like grammar are targeted for analysis and comparison.
Just
as the meaning, a word accumulated in future cannot be predicted. The
meanings of several words which developed in the past in different periods
cannot also be accounted for precisely, because the accumulated meanings
often are not gradable on account of the texts available to us, which are
uneven in time and space. Several words in the earliest known texts like the
Rgveda and others of the same genre are imprecise with regard to
their meanings; for, the attributable basal meaning by application of
grammar is itself unsatisfactory by logical contextualization. This is more
so in the case of those words which turned into technical names and obtained
coinage in different fields of knowledge. To begin with the meanings of
words in the Vedic texts as basic is again axiomatic. This axiomatic sense
forms the basis for a workable holistic system to account for the semantic
growth in different branches of knowledge. For reasons of commonness in
meaning in some areas in knowledge, representation of one and the same word
gets used in different subjects. Such a word again gets restricted in its
meaning within a given branch of learning in relation to other words in the
same category, as for example the word dhatu
in the grammatical literature gets different restrictions in the
expressiveness of action in relation to other components in a verb (p. 123).
Grouping or pairing of words is an advantageous method in order to draw
lines of demarkation in the area of the meanings which a word can denote.
For example the word guna
in dramaturgy and poetics has its specialized meaning restricted in relation
with other words laksana, alankara
and dosa (pp. 185-189), which
are to explain the expressiveness of the language artistically. The guna is an inherent quality of the sentence to present itself
agreeable, sweet and graceful. Its existence can be demonstrated negatively
by sentences which are not agreeable by the existence of dosas 'defects'. Hence Bharata has defined guna as 'the negation of defect' (p. 189). In the realm of textual
tradition adhibhµuta-adhidaiva-adhyatma,
sthulasuksma-para and srsti-sthti-samhara
are to be considered as related in a single semantic field for the relative
significance of each item in the given system of philosophy or art form. For
example "the Brhadasanyaka Upanisad (III .7. 1-23) explains adhibhuta as organic beings, the material world,
adhidaiva as nature-phenomena and adhyatma
as indivisible self (body)" (p. 259). In the Tantra-Ågama,
'adhibhuta and adhyatma are interrelated terms especially with reference to sense
and motor organs' (p. 265). The Matn∆ga-paramesvara
Ågama states : 'all the instruments of knowledge and action have the
characteristic of adhyatma abiding
in the body, adhibhauta the physical and adhidaiva
the divine aspect each' (p. 266).
It is very interesting to find unity in diversity as being
demonstrated by contraction and expansion of meanings through metaphor. The
elaborate discussions on the development of the sense of guna from rope (rajju) to a
line (rekha) convinces how the
words are unfailing guides for the study of cultural growth both in theory
and practice. Thus the lexical items in a dictionary cannot be viewed as
isolated entities and they become significant only in juxtaposition with
other related items. In view of this, the project of Kalåtattvakosa is
throwing open new vistas in the studies of Indian culture, with special
reference to Indian artistic traditions.
The Sanskrit extracts are provided with translation and
interpretation in English to the best advantage of the users of the lexicon.
This multiplex volume is an outcome of concerted effort of many eminent
scholars from various disciplines.
Srimannarayana Murti
Prof.
& Director, Sri Venkateswara University
Oriental
Research Institute, Tirupati
