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 1.119
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.119:
啶粪ぁ啷嵿啶距う啶苦き啷囙う啶� 啶多が啷嵿う啷囙え 啶掂啶ぞ啶栢啶ぞ啶む 啶班啶啶い啷� 啶い啶� 啷�
啶むじ啷嵿ぎ啶距う啶班啶ムさ啶苦ぇ啶距 啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啶距 啶多が啷嵿う啶ぞ啶む啶班ぞ啶膏 啶ㄠた啶多啶班た啶むぞ啶� 啷� 啷оェ啷� 啷�峁岣峧膩dibheda岣� 艣abdena vy膩khy膩to r奴pyate yata岣� |
tasm膩darthavidh膩岣� sarv膩岣� 艣abdam膩tr膩su ni艣rit膩岣� || 119 ||119. The difference between 鈥�峁岣峧补鈥� and others is grasped when conveyed through words; therefore, all kinds of meanings depend upon the powers of words.
Commentary
Everything depends upon the word which causes its cognition and enters into usage when grasped through remembrance of it as intertwined with its word (蝉尘峁泃颈苍颈谤奴辫补峁嚹�), as identified with its word through memory (补产丑颈箩补濒辫补苍颈谤奴辫补峁嚹�) and as connected with some particular action (腻办腻谤补苍颈谤奴辫补峁嚹�). The distinction between 峁岣峧补, 峁涐梗补产丑补 驳腻苍诲丑腻谤补, dhaivata, ni峁Ｄ乨a, 辫补帽肠补尘补 and madhyama, the words expressive of which are not well-defined nor well-known, cannot be understood without knowing the words on which depend their understanding. Cowherds, shepherds and others invent special words and accomplish their special purposes in regard to cows and other animals. Therefore, a thing with its distinctive feature, closely linked with general or special words the meanings of which are clearly grasped or otherwise respectively, is illuminated, embraced and identified with a cognition which is united with the power of the word, intertwined with the word and has the form of the word.1
Notes:
The purpose of this verse is to show that distinction between things can be known only through words. The distinctive features of some things in this world are easy to see and they have their words to express them. But the distinctive features of some things are not easy to grasp. By merely listening to the musical notes 峁岣峧补 etc., one cannot understand their special characteristics. One can do so only with the help of the technical explanation of the Science of Music. What we cognise can enter into worldly usage only if we can express it in words. The process of cognition has three stages which, as explained by V峁涐梗补产丑补, are: (1 to see a thing and to remember it as 峁僼ertwined with its word (厂尘峁泃颈苍颈谤奴辫补峁嚹�), (2) to cognise the identity between word and meaning (补产丑颈箩补濒辫补苍颈谤奴辫补峁嚹�), (3) to see it as connected with some action (腻办腻谤补苍颈谤奴辫补峁嚹�).
The intimate relation in which the word and the meaning figure in the cognition is emphasised in the 痴峁泃迟颈 by the use of several expressions covering different aspects of it: bhedav膩nartha岣� 艣膩bda艣akti-sa峁僺峁涐梗峁璦y膩 艣abd膩nuviddhay膩 艣abd膩tmikay膩 buddhy膩 prak膩艣yate upag峁沨yate sv墨kriyate. The meaning is illuminated and embraced by the cognition, it becomes one with it. The word, on the other hand, is also intertwined with the cognition which has the form of the word. The cognition has the form of the word which has the form of the meaning. (upg峁沨墨t膩rth膩k膩ra艣abdar膩p膩 [upag峁沨墨t膩rth膩k膩ra艣abdar奴p膩?] s膩 产耻诲诲丑颈岣�鈥擵峁�.)