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 1.63
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.63:
啶膏ぞ啶ぞ啶ㄠ啶ぎ啶距ざ啷嵿ぐ啶苦い啶� 啶う啷� 啶う啷佮お啶ぞ啶ㄠ啶ぎ啷囙く啶啶� 啷�
啶むじ啷嵿く 啶むじ啷嵿く啷嬥お啶ぞ啶ㄠ啶粪 啶оぐ啷嵿ぎ啷嬥そ啶ㄠ啶 啶掂啶い啶苦ぐ啶苦啷嵿啶む 啷� 啷ォ 啷�s膩m膩nyam膩艣rita峁� yad yadupam膩nopameyayo岣� |
tasya tasyopam膩ne峁 dharmo'nyo vyatiriccate || 63 ||63. When, whatever is considered as the common property between the standard and the object of comparison, itself figures in acts of comparison, some other common property, different from it, is adopted.
Commentary
The standard of comparison, the object of comparison and the common property, this triad is well-established. In the sentence 鈥渢he k峁ttriya studies like the br膩hmana鈥�, the common property is mentioned in regard to the standard of comparison also. When the statement is 鈥榯he study of the k峁ttriya is similar to that of the br膩hmana, the two students are mentioned as connected with the standard and objects of comparison and then, excellence etc., are understood as common properties of the two ways of studying, different from each other, because they exist in different substrata. Completion (辫补谤颈苍颈峁补迟迟颈) etc. would be understood as common properties of excellence etc. connected with study. In this way, there is no limit to the process of difference (by abstraction).1.
Notes
1. There are different grades in the process of comparison, we can say: (1) Br膩hma峁嘺vad adh墨te k峁ttriya岣� (2) 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嚹乨丑测补测补苍别苍补 迟耻濒测补峁� 办峁迟迟谤颈测腻诲丑测补测补苍补尘 (3) Br膩hma峁嚹乨hyayanasau峁ａ弓havena 迟耻濒测补峁� k峁ttriy膩dhyayanasau峁ａ弓havam.
In No. 1, the common point is that both the 产谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 and the k峁ttriya study; in No. 2, the common point is that their studies have excellence; in No. 3, the common point is that their studies lead to completion. What was a common point in the previous comparison becomes the standard and the object of comparison in the succeeding one. Study, excellence and completion are really one, but are looked upon as different by abstraction.