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"Tātparya"
371 Vākya; definition - Before we discuss various views as per the import of a sentence, we will first try to understand the definition of a sentence. Patañjali is of the opinion that action - ākhyāta-along with the help of all or each of the following viz. an indeclinable, i.e. avyaya, kāraka and visesana or adjective makes for a sentence : "Whyātam sá-vyaya-kāraka-višesanam vākyam." - M. bh. II. i. 9 - He observes - (pp. 367 Edn. Keilhorn, Vol. I. '62, third Edn. Abhyankar) - ākhyātam sávyayam sa-kārakam sa-kāraka-visesanam vākya-samjñam bhavati iti vaktavyam. savyayam, ucсaih pathati, nicaih pathati. sa-kārakam odanam pacati. sa-kārakavićeşanam-odanam mrdu-visadam pacati. sa-kriyāvišesanam ceti vaktavyam. susthu pacati dustu pacati." etc. - A kriyāvišeşana i.e. an adverb is also included herein - sa-kriyāvisesanam ca (ibid, pp. 367). Just action, aided by a višesana alone can also make for a sentence - ākhyatam sa-višesanam. At times a sentence is of the nature of an action alone - "ekatin” (mbh. II. i. i., pp. 367). The grammarians hold that the pada-padámía aspect of a vākya is ultimately illusory; they accept the sentence-whole as a single unit and give us the concept of vākya-sphota. See Punyarāja on V.P. - "tad asmān manyāmahe padāni asatyāni ekam abhinnasvabhāvakam vākyam. tad abudha-bodhanāya pada-vibhāgah kalpitah iti. - For the Naiyāyikas, a sentence is a collection of words having expectancy :
“mithaḥ sā”kānksa-sabdasya
vyūho vākyam caturvidham.” ś. ś pra. 13 We know that later, ālamkārika Visvanātha defines sentence as collection of words having expectancy, compatibility and proximity -
"vākyam syāt yogyatā”kānkṣā"sattiyuktaḥ
padoccayaḥ.” S.D. II. i. ab. - We will discuss the views of the alamkārikas later.
In the vedas we come across only consolidated sentences i.e. sentences which are supposed to have been originally undivided into parts. The Taittirīya Samhitā supports this - "vāg vai parāci avyākrtā." The grammatical method of analysis is a later development in the history of language. This view is strengthened by the definition of samhitā or emphonic combination of letters as we find in the Rk-prātiśākhya : “padaprakstiḥ samhitā." It is said that the samhitā or the close combination of letters such as, “agnim lle" - is what represents the original form and the practice of breaking it up i.e. into ‘agnim' and "lle", shows only a grammatical process followed in a much later period. The dictum - 'pada-prakrtih samhita' gave rise to a great controversy. The Mimāmsakas i.e. the padavādins, and the Vaiyākaranas or Vākyavādins have explained it in different ways. The Padavādins take padas as real and
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