भिन्नप्रवृत्तिनिमित्तस्य शब्दस्यैकस्मिन्नर्थे वृत्तिः सामानाधिकरण्यम् ।
bhinna-pravṛtti-nimittasya śabdasyaikasminn arthe vṛttiḥ sāmānādhikaraṇyam |
(Kāśikā-vṛttiḥ on Aṣṭadhyāyī 2.1.49)
“Use of a word which has a different cause of usage [than the word already in use] for [i.e., to describe] one object is [called] common locusness [alt., co-ordinate predication] (sāmānyādhikaraṇyam).”
Commentary
Śrī Rāmānujācārya restates this definition in his bhāṣya on VS 1.1.1 with the minor adjustment of including plurality:
bhinna-pravṛtti-nimittānāṁ śabdānām ekasminn arthe vṛttiḥ sāmānādhikaraṇyam |
“Use of words which have a different cause of usage [than the word already in use] for [i.e., to describe] one object is [called] common locusness [alt., co-ordinate predication] (sāmānyādhikaraṇyam).”
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī cites this definition of Śrī Rāmānujācārya in his Sarva-saṁvādinī on Bhagavat Sandarbha. He also refers to it in his Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa as follows in the Vṛtti on 1688:
bhinna-pravṛtti-nimittayor ekasminn arthe vṛttiḥ samānādhikaraṇyam |
“Use of those [words] that have two different causes (nimittas) of usage (pravṛtti) for one object is [called] common locusness [alt., co-ordinate predication] (sāmānyādhikaraṇyam).”
This is to say, when different words in the same case in a sentence that convey different meanings describe the same object, then they are said to have sāmānyādhikaraṇyam. In other words, when a single qualificand (viśeṣya) is conveyed by more than one qualifiers (viśeṣaṇas), there is an instance of sāmānyādhikaraṇyam.
In this regard, the ‘cause of usage’ (pravṛtti-nimitta) of a word is generally the class (jāti) it conveys. For example, the cause of usage (pravṛtti-nimitta) of the word green (śyāma) is greenness (śyāmatva). So, when words have a different cause of usage, that is, when they make known different characteristics, but still refer to the same object, viz., the qualificand (viśeṣya), then they have common locusness [alt., co-ordinate predication] (sāmānyādhikaraṇyam).”