Lakshana

Lakshana (Sanskrit: लक्षण lakṣaṇa) – derived from the combination of words lakshya and kshana – means 'indication' or 'symptom'. It also means 'an auspicious mark', 'attribute' or 'quality'. In Tamil language, Lakshanam means " perfect features" (a face in perfect dimension)

In Varadarāja's Laghukaumudi (St.210), on the following Paniniya Sukta I.i.62 on Sanskrit grammar, which reads:

states that when elision (lopa) of an affix has taken place, the affix shall still exert its influence, and the operations dependent upon it will take place as if it were present. He explains that the word, Lakshana, signifies that by which a thing is recognized, and the word, Lopa signifies the elision i.e. substitution of a blank, in which regard Sakalya had suggested certain optional substitutions as stated in Sukta VIII.iii.19. Vardaraja draws attention to Panini’s statement referred to at St.152 to the effect that after whatsoever there is an affix (pratyaya) enjoined, let what begins therewith, in the form in which it appears when the affix follows it, be called an inflective base (anga) e.g. in the case of addressing two or more persons of the same name, say - Rama, the Ramas need not be addressed as Oh two Ramas but the -s is to be dropped without change in meaning (intention) and addressed as Oh Rama which would suffice the intended purpose.

Vyasa-bhashya (VIII.13) explains that in the smallest particle of time or kshana the whole universe undergoes a change. Each moment or particle of time is only the manifestation of that change, and time does not have a separate existence. Appearance is called Dharma, and the arrangement of objects or qualities is called Dharmin; the change of appearance is called Dharma-parinama which has two aspects – Lakshana-parinama and Avastha-parinama, which are not intrinsically different. Lakshana-parinama considers three stages of an appearance viz. a) the unmanifested when it exists in the future, b) the manifested moment of the present and c) the past when it has been manifested, lost to view but preserved and retained in all the onwards stages of evolution. Avastha-parinama is change of condition which is not materially different from Lakshana-parinama and hence its mode; it is on account of this that an object is called new or old, grown or decayed. It is the nature of the Guṇas that there cannot remain even a moment without the evolutionary changes of dharma, lakshana and avastha, for movement is the characteristic of the gunas whose nature is the cause of constant movement, which changes the mind also experiences in accordance with its two qualities visible and invisible; the visible qualities are those whose changes can be noticed as conscious states or thought-products or precepts, whereas the invisible qualities are those whose changes can only be established by inference. There is an order in all successive changes (Vacaspati in his Tattva–vaivasaradi (III.15).

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