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 1.3
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.3:
啶呧ぇ啷嵿く啶距す啶苦い啶曕げ啶距 啶じ啷嵿く 啶曕ぞ啶侧ざ啶曕啶むた啶啶ぞ啶多啶班た啶むぞ啶� 啷�
啶溹え啷嵿ぎ啶距う啶 啶掂た啶曕ぞ啶班ぞ啶� 啶粪ぁ啷� 啶ぞ啶掂き啷囙う啶膏啶� 啶啶ㄠく啶� 啷� 啷� 啷�adhy膩hitakal膩峁� yasya k膩la艣aktimup膩艣rit膩岣� |
janm膩dayo vik膩r膩岣� 峁岣� bh膩vabhedasya yonaya岣� || 3 ||3. Depending on whose Time-power to which (though one) differentiation is attributed, the six transformations, birth etc. become the cause of all variety in Being.
Commentary
All powers1 depending on their causes and having a starting point are governed by the creative power (蝉惫腻迟补苍迟谤测补) called Time; they follow the modes of this Time-power. Because of the regulation of the immense diversity of each object by means of prevention and permission, its appearances seem to have a sequence. Time, by allowing them to come to be is the secondary cause of all transformations which depend on their own other causes also and whose production had been delayed.2 Its causal power being thus differentiated by the manifestations which have a sequence, the differentiation which exists in the manifestations is attributed to it. It is like attributing to the balance the divisions marked by lines on it at the time of the balancing of the weight of the material which is in contact with it.3 Thus when sequence is attributed to something which is neither prior nor posterior in the form 鈥榠t was鈥� or 鈥榠t was not,鈥� the six transformations birth etc., become the source of the modifications, the changes in Being. Transformation of action will be dealt with in detail in the section devoted to 鈥楤eing鈥� under the subject of universal.
Notes
1. 痴峁涐梗补产丑补 explains 艣补办迟补测补岣� as 辫补诲腻谤迟丑腻岣� by identifying cause and effect.
2. 辫谤补迟颈产补诲诲丑补箩补苍尘补苍腻尘. Though all the mss of the 痴峁泃迟颈 have pratibandha,掳 the text adopted is probably the genuine one. The explanation of 痴峁涐梗补产丑补鈥�ye峁Ｄ乵ev膩nena prathamata utpattau pratibandha岣� 办峁泃补岣� te pratibaddhajanm膩na岣�鈥� also supports the emendation.
3. While explaining the analogy of the balance, 痴峁涐梗补产丑补 uses the terms 迟耻濒腻蝉奴迟谤补, 迟耻濒腻诲补峁囜笉补, 迟耻濒腻辫补峁璦濒补 and 诲补峁囜笉补濒别办丑腻. The rod type of balance seems to be referred to. The thing to be weighed is placed on a pan (迟耻濒腻辫补峁璦濒补) which hangs from one end of the rod (迟耻濒腻诲补峁囜笉补) which is held by a string (迟耻濒腻蝉奴迟谤补) at one of the points marked by a line on the rod (诲补峁囜笉补濒别办丑腻) according to the weight of the thing weighed.