language (Was Re: Quotations)

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Mon, 28 Apr 1997, Dennis Waite wrote:

> I liked Allan Curry's 'philosophical musings'. A quotation sprang to mind in
> respect of what he said. It is from Krishnamenon, and I may have quoted it
> before: "Language is the art of concealing thoughts; thoughts are the art of
> concealing truth".
>

I've never heard of this Krishnamenon person so I can't say how much he
new about Indian philosophy but the view expressed above is not the
traditional one.  Think about it, all the astika darshans treat the
Shruti and Smrti -- a body of text as the source of truth.  This is why
the systematic analysis of language developed very early on in India
resulting in Sanskrt (the "polished" language.)  The Vaiyakaraniks or
Grammarians based a highly developed philosophy based on language.  Other
darshans particularly the Nayaiyiks and Prabhakar Mimamsaks also delved
deep into this area.  Advaita Vedanta was affected by these darshans and
also made contributions of its own.  Language as a path to truth is also a
core foundation of tantra.

So far from being an obstacle, many would say language and hence thought,
is the _only_ way to truth.

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