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and
samartha
-
pravr
r
t
i
to be logically, grammatically related. The purpose of his analysis
must have been to provide an account of the grammatical relations between the concepts
of
pramān
a
and
samartha
-
pravr
r
t
i
and not an account of the causal relation between
pramān
a
and
samartha
-
pravr
r
t
i
.
Uddyotakara's analysis of the grammatical relations between
pramān
a
and
samar-
tha
-
pravr
r
t
i
consists of three short passages. First, he points out that there is a
grammatical relation between what we understand to be an 'object of interest' and the
activity which accomplishes it -
samartha
-
pravr
r
t
i
. He states:
When the thought I want to 'obtain that thing' propels a man to act, and
he indeed 'obtains that thing', the activity (
pravr
r
t
i
) he performs is said
to be fruitful (
samartha
). Similarly, when the thought I want to 'avoid
that thing' propels a man to act, and he indeed 'avoids that thing', the ac-
tivity he performs is said to be fruitful. Otherwise, his activity is said to
be non-fruitful.
5
The grammatical point Uddyotakara tries to turn our attention to in the above passage
is as follows: The terms we use to express the things we are interested in pursuing are
the same terms we use to express the activities which accomplish these things. One's
desire to "drink coffee", to "climb a tree" or to "wear a coat", could be fulfilled only by
him "drinking coffee", "climbing a tree" or "wearing a coat". This grammatical point can
be formulated in the following manner: The thing
p
one is interest in pursuing can be
accomplished only by the activity we describe as
p
and the activity we describe as
p
is
the activity which is capable of accomplishing only the thing
p
one is interest in pursuing.
It follows from the fact that the things we are interested in pursuing and the activities
which accomplish them are expressed by the same terms, that for each activity
p
corres-
ponds one and only one object it accomplishes, i.e., the object
p
we are interested in pur-
suing; and that for each object
p
we are interested in pursuing corresponds one and only
one activity, i.e., the activity
p
which accomplishes it.
In the subsequent passage, Uddyotakara states that the classification of activities to
samartha
and
asamartha
corresponds to the classification of
pramān
a
to real and
unreal.
6
The real
pramān
a
, Uddyotakara explains, is that which correctly endows
things with their meanings.
7
A meaningful thing is by definition a thing which serves
a purpose, a thing which plays a role and which people find interest in. Hence, saying
that the real
pramān
a
correctly determines the meaning of something to be
p
is tanta-
mount to saying that the real
pramān
a
correctly identifies
p
as something people find
interest in. Since the group of objects the real
pramān
a
provides is the group of things
people find interest in, and since for each such thing
p
corresponds one and only one
5
NV 1.1.1, pp. 2 line 17
- वृेरिप ैिवयं भवित समथासमथभेदात्. या खलु रागादमवृिः सा
समथा चासमथ च भवित. इमायामीित वतमानो यदा ाोित तदा समथा, अिनं हायामीित
वतमानो यदा जहित तदािप समथा. यदा िवपययतदासमथित.
6
NV 1.1.1, pp. 2 line 21
- तत् पुनः वृेिवयं माणयाथवदनथकवात्.
7
NV, pp. 2 line 21
-
माणं तावदथपरछेदकम्. माणसामायात् माणितपकमिप
माणिमयुपचयते.
