Vakyapadiya of Bhartrihari

by K. A. Subramania Iyer | 1965 | 391,768 words

The English translation of the Vakyapadiya by Bhartrihari including commentary extracts and notes. The Vakyapadiya is an ancient Sanskrit text dealing with the philosophy of language. Bhartrhari authored this book in three parts and propounds his theory of Sphotavada (sphota-vada) which understands language as consisting of bursts of sounds conveyi...

This book contains Sanskrit text which you should never take for granted as transcription mistakes are always possible. Always confer with the final source and/or manuscript.

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.8:

विभक्तिभदो नियमाद् गुणगुण्यभिधायिनोः ।
सामानाधिकरणस्य प्रसिध्दिर्द्रव्यशब्दयोः ॥ ८ ॥

vibhaktibhado niyamād guṇaguṇyabhidhāyinoḥ |
sāmānādhikaraṇasya prasidhdirdravyaśabdayoḥ || 8 ||

8. The two words expressive of the secondary and the primary have necessarily different case-endings. Where they have the same case-endings, both express substance.

Commentary

There is, however, a difference between where the two words have the same case-endings and where they have different case-endings. That is now pointed out.

[Read verse 8 above]

[Where the two words have different case-endings, the relation of primary and secondary is directly expressed by the words. For instance, in paṭasya śuklaḥ, the two words express sub- stance and quality respectively and their relation of primary and secondary is directly expressed by the words. The secondary-word paṭasya expresses its meaning as something which serves that of the primary word śuklaḥ and so it takes the sixth caseending which is expressive of what is secondary. The primary word, on the other hand, expresses its own meaning and docs not serve something else and so takes the nominative case-ending. Thus, where the case-endings are different, each one has a fixed function. Where both the words have the same case-ending as in Vīraḥ puruṣaḥ, both the words express substance (dravya). Each expresses its own meaning, irrespective of the other. If we ultimately understand that the two meanings, stand towards each other in the relation of primary and secondary, it is through implication. It is not śābda, directly expressed by the words, because both the words express substance.]

It is now stated that even if both the words denote substance and have the same case-ending, there can be relation between the two.

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