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.

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.367:

शास्त्रे तु महती संज्ञा स्वरूपोपनिबन्धना ।
अनुमानं निमित्तस्य संनिधाने प्रतीयते ॥ ३६७ ॥

śāstre tu mahatī saṃjñā svarūpopanibandhanā |
anumānaṃ nimittasya saṃnidhāne pratīyate || 367 ||

367. In the śāstra, a big name is based on its form but when some circumstance is present in the object, that is also inferred to be the basis of the name.

Commentary

Not only small names consisting of just one syllable but also big names are given in the śāstra on the basis of form only.

[Read verse 367 above]

[When the form only is the basis of the name, the meaning of its parts is not considered to be the basis. But when there is some circumstance in the object and it is expressed by the parts of the name, then the meaning of the parts also becomes the basis of the name.]

How it is inferred is now stated.

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