13 ruta
“yathārutaṃ vikalpitvā samāropenti dharmatām / te ca vai tat-samāropāt patanti narak^ālaye” [Laṅkāvatārasūtra ,63] (“Those who following words, discriminate and assert various notions, are bound for hell because of their assertions.” [Suzuki 135])
13.0.1 overview
ruta expresses various aspects of domain of Language with an emphasis of its audible dimension. In our annotated data it often express the meaning of utterance/spoken words , a sense in which ruta is usually negated, conveying the idea of something that cannot be put into words or verbalized (jñānālokālaṃkāra 42). More generally it can mean sound of speech/voice, where it foregrounds the auditive qualities of language, and not its communicational dimension. In this sense ruta usually features in positive similes involving the voice of brahma or talking birds (laṅkāvatārasūtra 58). The auditive dimension of language comes to the fore also in the meaning word , where ruta typically signifies literal adhesion of the words of teachings, traditionally orally learned, and is opposed to understanding the meaning of those teachings (+ yathā literal).
Finally within the semantic domain Physical sensation, ruta can mean sound (esp. melodious), pointing to auditory experiences that provoke an emotional or aesthetic response, such as a like that of singing and of musical instruments (daśabhūmikasūtra 82) and a “vocal sound (oft non-human)” like that of birds or mythological creatures (saddharmapuṇḍarīka 211).
13.0.2 context
Several collocational patterns featuring ruta can be pointed out. The compound yathāruta (literally “as spoken/heard”) is well represented, consistently carrying negative semantic prosody in philosophical contexts where it denotes problematic literal interpretation of teachings. This expression is particularly prominent in Yogācāra texts, as seen in the laṅkāvatārasūtra e.g. “tatr^edam ucyate — yathārutaṃ vikalpitvā samāropenti dharmatām / te ca vai tat-samāropāt patanti narak^ālaye //”[laṅkāvatārasūtra 63] (“Those who following words, discriminate and assert various notions, are bound for hell because of their assertions.” [Suzuki 135]).
Another notable pattern involves ruta in compounds describing divine or melodious sounds, such as kalaviṅka-ruta (kalavinka bird’s sound) and brahma-ruta (divine sound), which consistently carry positive connotations and appear in descriptions of supernatural vocal qualities.
13.0.3 connotation
The semantic prosody analysis reveals a full connotational gamut. Overall, neutral prosody predominates, indicating that ruta tends to function as a descriptively neutral word for the sound of speech. However, negative connotations are also well represented, frequently in contexts where literal interpretation of words (yathāruta) is critiqued. Positive connotation accompanies descriptions of melodious sounds or divine speech.
This entry is based on version 6 of of the Visual Dictionary of Buddhist Sanskrit, see data at zenodo.org/records/13985112