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 2.315-316
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.315-316:
संसर्ग� विप्रयोगश्� साहचर्यं विरोधिता �
अर्थ� प्रकरण� लिङ्गं शब्दस्यान्यस्य सन्निधिः � ३१� �
सामर्थ्यंमौचिती देशः कालो व्यक्तिः स्वरादयः �
शब्दार्थंस्यानवच्छेद� विशेषस्मृतिहेतवः � ३१� �saṃsargo viprayogaśca sāhacarya� virodhitā |
artha� 첹ṇa� liṅga� śabdasyānyasya sannidhi� || 315 ||
峾ٳⲹṃmaucitī ś� kālo vyakti� svarādaya� |
śabdārthaṃsyānavacchede viśeṣasmṛtihetava� || 316 ||315. Connection, separation, association, opposition, meaning, context, indication, the presence of another word, (316) suitability, propriety, place, time, gender and accent etc, these are the causes of our determining the meaning of a word when there is no definiteness in it.
Commentary
The author now gives two verses giving a more complete list of the factors which help to determine the meaning of words. These may be quotations from some unknown work.
[Read verse 315-316 above]
[The ṛtپ and ʳṇyᲹ record that it is always 峾ٳⲹ = ability or capacity of the word which helps to determine its meaning when there is indefiniteness. The so called factors enumerated only reveal this capacity: Tatra kecit 峾ٳⲹmevaika� bhedāvadhāraṇanimittam iti manyante, yasyārthaprakaraṇābhyā� svābhāviko 岹� samadhigamyate so'pi sāmarthyād eva. 峾ٳⲹ� hi bahudhā pravibhajyate. (ṛtپ).
As for the examples of the different facts, the ṛtپ and ʳṇyᲹ give the same ones mostly. It is obvious that the latter has taken them from the former. Here and there the ṛtپ gives examples which are ignored by ʳṇyᲹ. It also raises some points for discussion which are ignored by ʳṇyᲹ. It is anxious to give an idea of the variety of views which existed in its day on some of the points raised. That is why the expressions: anye, anye tu, anyetvāhu�, kecit, kecidāhu�, yeṣām, teṣām, keṣām-cit occur in the ṛtپ in v. 315 and 316. The examples common to both are as follows�ṃs = DzԲԱپDz:�sakiśorā dhenur ānīyatām. Here on account of the connection between Գ� and 쾱śǰ, a mare is understood from the former word and not a cow. Viprayoga = 貹پDz�akiśorā dhenur ānīyatām = ‘let the dhenu without its 쾱śǰ be brought.� Here also, by dhenu a mare is understood because it is only a mare which can be without 쾱śǰ. ⲹ (dzپDz)�峾ṣmṇa. Because of association with ṣmṇa, 峾 here means son of Daśaratha, Virodha (opposition) �峾ܲԲ. Here 峾 means Paraśurāma because of his well-known opposition to Arjuna. Artha = meaning and 첹ṇa = context have been illustrated under the previous verse. ṅg = Ի徱پDz�� ś첹� = sugar mixed with grease. From indications found elsewhere it is understood that butter is used for mixing. 峾ܲԲ can be taken as the example of the determination of meaning through the presence of another word. Sāmarthya = suitability, abhirūpāya kanyā deyā = the girl must be given in marriage to a good-looking person. Through suitability, one understands a good-looking bridegroom. Auciti = propriety, ś = place, = time have already been illustrated under v. 314. It is well known that in the Veda, the meaning of a word is often determined by its accent (svara).]