--> Skip to main content


Tatparya In Hindu Philosophy

In Hindu philosophy, Tatparya is intention. For Nyaya, tatparya is one of the four conditions to be fulfilled for a sentence to be meaningful. It stands for the meaning intended to be conveyed by a sentence. The meaning of a sentence is what the speaker/writer intends the listener/reader to understand. For instance, in the sentence, kakabhyo dadhi rakshayatam (protect the curd from crows), the intended meaning is to protect the curd not only from crows but also from all other birds and animals. On the other hand, if the intention of the speaker/writer is not known the listener/reader, the meaning of the sentence would be lost.

Tatparya is more significant when a particular word of sentence conveys more than one meaning. For example, someone while having dinner asks for saindhava, he means salt but not a horse. Conversely, while one is about to move out and asks for saindhava, he means a horse but not salt. In Sanskrit, saindhava can mean both salt and horse. Thus, tatparya (or the intended meaning of the speaker/writer) is one of the four conditions that are to be fulfilled for generating verbal knowledge.