Aksharapadeeyam – Episode 3
Concepts covered in this episode:
“The Noun & the Verb,” “The World & the Word,” “Semantics & Ontology,” “Metaphysics of Sound – Shabda Tattva,” “Knowledge, Known & Knower,” “Real World & the Reality” …
Dr. Sarada Purna Sonty :
Subject being very abstract and subtle, I felt the need to take you all to subtler realms.
I – Noun & Verb : Naama Vaachakam & Kriyaa Vaachakam. Essentially ‘knowing’ is an intellectual process. Our intellectual efforts ultimately point to some kind of experience as a “result.” We understand the result in terms of words, which is akshara or are clusters of akshras. The whole process involves languages within, even if it doesn’t find expression. That means thinking continuously happens, even if the individual does not seek expression. We all know that our thoughts are not hanging somewhere in the air, but are within us . We can only cognize them with the help of “Akshara Shakthi.” The ‘manifest world’ is objective and everything can be known with a name. The ‘energy world’ is subjective and the only ‘means’ is through experience.
II – World & Word : One is tangible, other is intangible. Let us discuss the relationship between ‘word’ and ‘world’. Word is “referred,” World is “referent.” Human cognition depends on referring to an object by giving a name to the thought. Meaning always has a name which is a Perception, meaning itself is the natural concept.
III – Ontology and Semantics : Noun & Language Ontology is a branch of Taattvika approach – metaphysics dealing with the concepts in subjective area or nature by naming. Semantics deals with aspects of meaning, such as sense, implication, logic, word, phrase, text, cognitive structure of the given Name. There is a methodological difference between East & West. The western mind goes through an intellectual process, finds modals to justify the result in a phenomenal world and generally, gets satisfied with theoretical and rational enquiry. On the contrary, the eastern mind, while enforcing strict rational enquiry, always demands experiencing the process to verify the result of intellectual enquiry. In eastern thinking, the theoretical accuracy of thought that leads to certain conclusions is not sufficient. There is always a strong belief that there are many variables to be recognized and considered for conclusions and deductions.
IV – Metaphysics: In the natural state, one that can neither be reduced or objectified. Holism is a philosophical term that means parts of a whole are interconnected. It cannot be understood without a referral Totality, or Entirety. Atom-ism is also a philosophical term where everything can be interpretable through analysis into elemental components. Is this process incipiently an attitude of Mind? Or do the variables of mind at every level have a role to play? What does reality mean? Is it merely a notion or a stream of ideas forming out of life energy? Is it an aesthetic temperament? Or is it a notion of a consistent system of ideas giving satisfaction to logical propensity of mind? Very often we end up with questions. Is there a deeper, more or less ‘un-analyzable tendency’, logically unassailable state left for mind as experience for final justification? The nature of human inquiry, sciences, philosophy, aesthetics require some sort of satisfaction obtainable by different experiences.
V – Knowledge (Jnaanam) Known (JnEyam) Knower (Jnaatha): Whatever is knowable is sayable. Whatever is sayable is knowable. What connects these two? What are the results when connected? Knowable is intangible, Sayable is tangible. Knowledge is not a realistic external objective world view with assertions and factual statements, but philosophical speculations, injunctions, factual morality of thoughts and feelings.
VI – Reality & Real World: Models from the real world should be validated and supplemented by intellectual consistency. For an artist, the ultimate validity lies in satisfying the aesthetic sense. In dealing with physics, all laws must stand the tests of physical science and rational mind inquiries. Linguists’ efforts don’t stop at utterance, spoken words, and expression, they take it to the core of sound origins, purpose, meaning, and purpose. For Taattviks (philosophers), no particular experience or mode can be pointed out. All angles should meet, merge, transcend at inner space and are also to be regarded as relevant considerations for investigations. Logic is a language with which we interpret experience. The language for experience is fundamental energy. Thoughts come quite uncontrolled to us as involuntary movements. Mind won’t accept disorganized energy flow, tries to give structure, directs them to subconscious, unconscious levels. One needs to address logical abstraction of this process caused by experiences. Reality is the space where experience resides. All thoughts must be founded and testified by experiences.
VII – Akshara gives inherent linguistic potency which gives Natural linguistic competence. Word and world together give Form, Structure, meaning, experience, integrity and finally, expression evolves.