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 3.14.549-550
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.549-550:
व्यभिचार� तथासिद्ध� सप्तमीग्रहणाद् विना �
सप्तम्येवोच्यत� सर्व� � सन्त्यन्या विभक्तयः � ५४� �
अत्यन्तस्य विषय� सप्तम्या ज्ञापनार्थया �
बाधिता विनिवर्तेत षष्ठी सा गृह्यत� पुनः � ५५� �atyantasya viṣaye saptamyā jñāpanārthayā |
bādhitā vinivarteta ṣaṣṭhī sā gṛhyate puna� || 550 ||
vyabhicāre tathāsiddhe ٲīgrahaṇād vinā |
saptamyevocyate sarvā na santyanyā vibhaktaya� || 549 ||549. If the third case-affix is continued, deviation would be certain without the mention of the seventh case-affix. But as the seventh case-affix is mentioned, it shows that the other case-endings are not covered.
550. The sixth case-affix would be set aside in this matter by the seventh which is meant to be a clue. So it is mentioned, so that it may be brought in again.
Commentary
[Why has the sixth case-affix (tasya) been also mentioned in P. 5.1.116? The seventh case-affix (tatra) by itself would have been enough because the fact of being the subject-matter (ṣaⲹ) which is the meaning of the seventh would cover also the meaning of the sixth, so that the latter need not be separately mentioned. To remove this objection, the purpose of mentioning the sixth is now explained. Normally, the seventh case-affix is not used in association with iva. The very fact that it is so taught here shows that normally it does not occur in that sense. Il the sixth is not taught because it is covered by the seventh, then where the seventh is not possible, the sixth also would not be possible. But it is desired that the sixth should always be possible in association with iva and for that it is necessary to mention it separately in the ūٰ. It might be argued that if the sixth is not mentioned separately but only the seventh is mentioned, the latter would be alright only as expressive of the abode (첹ṇa) on the basis of connection with an outside word and not as expressive of śṣa. If the sixth case-affix were also there, one could decide that the seventh is expressive of śṣa because of its association with the sixth. If the sixth is not mentioned at all, the mention of the seventh would not be a clue that it can also be used as expressive of śṣa in association with iva. So there is no question of the seventh setting aside the sixth altogether if the latter is not mentioned. Though there is some truth in this argument, the real position is as follows:—The very fact that both the case-affixes are mentioned when one of them would have been enough to cover the other also shows that one of them is only meant to be a clue. It is the seventh which is meant to be a clue because the sixth cannot be used in the sense of the seventh. The suffix vati is desired to be added to a word ending in the sixth also. So, in its own sphere, the sixth cannot be set aside. It might be objected that if the mention of the seventh here is a clue, that the seventh here is in the sense of śṣa, then the suffix vati cannot be added to a word ending in the seventh expressive of abode, as for instance in madhurāyām ṃa pāṭaliputre prāsādā�. If vati is added to a word ending in the seventh expressive of śṣa, then the word expressive of the upameya cannot end in the seventh. We would have to say pāṭaliputrasya prāsādā�. Therefore, we have to take the word tatra twice in P. 5.1.116. One of them would teach vati after a word ending in the seventh expressive of the abode and the other would indicate that the seventh can be used in the sense of śṣa This is what the ṣy means. Others argue that the relation of abider and abode (ⲹ屹) can be covered by the sixth. So even if the upameya is put in the seventh case-affix, the suffix vati can be understood to have been added to a word ending in the sixth. This ūٰ does not prevent vati from being added to a word ending in the 첹ṇa-ٲī. All that it does is to say that the seventh can be used in association with iva in the sense of śṣa.]
Now something is going to be said about P. 5.1.117.