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.
Verse 3.7.26
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.7.26:
啶曕啶班た啶ぞ啶 啶曕ぐ啶｀え啷嵿い啶膏啶� 啶︵啶粪啶熰 啶啶班い啶苦え啶苦ぇ啶苦じ啷嵿い啶ムぞ 啷�
啶灌啶む啶掂ぐ啷嵿ぅ啶� 啶む 啶曕啶班た啶ぞ 啶むじ啷嵿ぎ啶距え啷嵿え 啶� 啶啶班い啶苦え啶苦ぇ啷�啶い啷� 啷� 啷ㄠガ 啷�kriy膩yai 办补谤补峁嘺ntasya d峁涐梗峁璦岣� pratinidhistath膩 |
hetvarth膩 tu kriy膩 tasm膩nna sa pratinidh墨yate || 26 ||26. The instrument is for the sake of action, hence a substitute for it is allowed. Action exists for its purpose; therefore no substitute for the latter is allowed.
Commentary
The difference between 鈥�hetu鈥� and 办补谤补峁嘺鈥� is now stated.
[Read verse 26 above]
[That which helps most in the accomplishment of the action is called instrument (办补谤补峁嘺). It is subordinate to action which is the more important of the two. That is why if the prescribed instrument is not available a substitute can be used. The action being the chief thing, it would demand some instrument or other. If the prescribed one is not available a substitute can be used without violating the injunction. According to some, this applies to all the accessories (办腻谤补办补). In the sentence 鈥�adhyayanena vasati鈥� = he resides for study, the third case-ending has been used, not because study is an instrument (办补谤补峁嘺) but because it is a cause (hetu). The action understood from the verb 鈥�vasati鈥� is subordinate to study. Residing somewhere is for the purpose of study and, therefore, subordinate to it and not vice versa. There cannot be a substitute for the main purpose. Thus 鈥�hetu鈥� (cause, purpose) is more important than action, whereas instrument (办补谤补峁嘺) is always subordinate to action.]
The difference between 鈥�hetu鈥� and 鈥�迟腻诲补谤迟丑测补鈥� is now pointed out.