Conventional language, if you look at it, its all object specific. What is this in English? Hand… What is this? What is this? That’s all. Someone told us.., taught us.., we learnt it. But you do not have the right to ask why it is called ‘Hand’? Why this is called ‘Nose’? You are not allowed to ask this question. If you ask, you will be ridiculed. Or, if you are not ridiculed, you will not get a satisfactory answer. Sometimes, yes, if we go back to the history of the development of the language, we can find out some history about it, some facts about it, why it is called.
But to a good extent we will not be able to tell why it is so. But there is no single word in Sanskrit that which is object specific. What I mean to say is that, if you ask, is there no word in Sanskrit for ‘Hand’? None for ‘Nose’? Not for ‘Chair’? Not for ‘Table’? There are… Not one, but many. For one object, sometimes you will find more than a hundred names. Then how do you say it is not object specific?
Because if there are a hundred words for an object, then you look at those hundred words, analyze them. What is the root form of that word? And this question of Why, you can always ask in Sanskrit for every word. Why it is so? And you will get the right answer also. Have you seen Amarakosha? Read it? Amarakosha has the list compiled for all the words used for an object. Like for example, if you take ‘Jala’.., for ‘Jala’.., for Water, we find thirty words in Amarakosha. 34 for Agni. Similarly, for some objects here are 52 words and for some 60… Of many types.
All the words that are used, there is a comprehensive list of them in Amarakosha. Only one word is spoken in English for water – Water. There is no other word for it. Here we have 30 words. And what is the meaning of these 30 words? Why is water called ‘Jala’? You may ask the question now. And ‘Jala’ is not water only. Now we must understand why is water called ‘Jala’? Water is called ‘Jala’ because it has the property of turning into liquid from solid. It is the property of water to become inanimate.
That nature to become inanimate, the tendency to become inanimate is in water. Therefore, it is called ‘Jal’. There is not much difference between ‘jal’ and inanimate. This is the nature of water. Why is water called “Vari”? Vrnotiaavrnotiaacchaadayati.., it shrouds in the form of clouds. This is also a nature of water. Similarly, look at fire. Why fire is called ‘Agni’? This word is derived from the root ‘Ag’, ‘Ag’ means going upwards. The plume of Agni has the nature of going upwards. Never will the plume of Agni go downwards. Therefore, the word “Agra” is also from that root. Agra means, when you say Agra, you either look to your front or to your above. Why is Agni called “Anala”? What does ‘Anala’ mean? “Anala” is made from “Na alam”. Like “Na ashva”, is “Anashva”, “Na alam” is “Anala”. “Na alam” means not sufficient. Agni is the ever dissatisfied one. Even if the whole of creation comes to his mouth, it is still dissatisfied. Nobody could satisfy Agni. Nothing is enough. Not enough, not enough. When this was experienced that this is also a nature, a property of Agni, then it was named “Anala”. So, this is how we will analyze the words in Sanskrit. So, if there are 30 words for water, then these 30 words tell us about 30 natures, 30 properties, 30 qualities of water.
So, from a view point, we are not only learning words, we are learning science in totality. What does a scientist want? Who has the knowledge? When a scientist looks at water, when a common man looks at water, what is the difference between them? So, all the substance which a scientist can find out, generally people are not able to do that. So, the job of Rishi Munis was, they made this language in such a way that it has complete science in it. If while reading we know about 34 names of Agni, then we know about 34 properties of Agni.
