Before delving into the various disputes in Indian philosophy over what is commonly termed “literal meaning,” let us first identify the cluster of concepts and corresponding terms Indian philosophers use in their analysis of meaning. The Sanskrit term for “meaning,” artha, has a semantic range that includes also “object,” “wealth,” and “goal.” It can be used both for external referents of words as well as meanings “in the head,” although the term for occurrent mental states is frequently jñāna, usually translated as “cognition” or “awareness.” Both words and sentences are said to have meanings, although in what manner they have them, and how word- and sentence-meanings interrelate are subjects of debate.