लिङ्ग्यते ज्ञायतेऽनेनेति लिङ्गं चिह्नमित्यर्थः । तच्च लिङ्गमीश्वर-परिभाषितो धर्म इति तस्य स्वभावसिद्धता । ततश्च लिङ्गानां प्रकृतिवाच्यत्वमेव न्यायत्वम् ।
liṅgyate jñāyate’neneti liṅgaṁ cihnam ity arthaḥ | tac ca liṅgam īśvara-paribhāṣito dharma iti tasya svabhāva-siddhatā | tataś ca liṅgānāṁ prakṛti-vācyatvam eva nyāyatvam |
(Amṛta-ṭīkā on Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa: 924)
“That by which something is indicated, that is, known, is a liṅga, that is, a characteristic. This is the meaning. Furthermore, its [i.e., a liṅga’s] establishment in the nature [of an object, i.e., its being innate in an object] is because a liṅga is a quality assigned by Īśvara. Thus also, nature being that which is to be expressed by liṅgas is indeed appropriate.”