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 1.32
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.32:
啶呧さ啶膏啶ムぞ啶︵啶多啶距げ啶距え啶距 啶啶︵ぞ啶︵ 啶た啶ㄠ啶ㄠぞ啶膏 啶多啷嵿い啶苦し啷� 啷�
啶ぞ啶掂ぞ啶ㄠぞ啶え啷佮ぎ啶距え啷囙え 啶啶班じ啶苦う啷嵿ぇ啶苦ぐ啶むた啶︵啶班啶侧き啶� 啷� 啷┼エ 啷�avasth膩de艣ak膩l膩n膩峁� bhed膩d bhinn膩su 艣akti峁 |
bh膩v膩n膩manum膩nena prasiddhiratidurlabh膩 || 32 ||32. It is extremely difficult to establish, by reasoning the nature of objects, because their properties differ according to difference in circumstances, place and time.
Commentary
The inference, after seeing what is connected and considered invariably concommittant or something similar to it, of another thing which is not visible, does not lead to any certainty in regard to that invisible thing. One sees that the nature of things of proved strength and quality in certain circumstances, varies, in other circumstances, visible or invisible to ordinary persons. Even the properties of external things like seeds and plants are suspended in certain circumstances. Similarly, properties of things change with change of place. Waters of the Himalayas are very cold to the touch. But similar waters found in clouds, a waterboiler and the like are warm to the touch. The ordinary man (补谤惫腻驳诲补谤艣补苍补), misled by external resemblance, is unable to see the difference and can see it only with the help of tradition. Similarly, properties of things change with time. The temperature of the waters of a well and the like, is very different in summer and winter. Which intelligent man would try to demonstrate, by mere reasoning, this subtle difference in nature, imperceptible to the ordinary man, unascertainable by inference and incomprehensible except through knowledge derived from tradition?