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 3.2.16
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.2.16:
वाच्या सा सर्वशब्दानां शब्दाश्च न पृथक् ततः ।
अपृथक्त्वे च संबन्धस्तयोर्नानात्मनोरिव ॥ १६ ॥vācyā sā sarvaśabdānāṃ śabdāśca na pṛthak tataḥ |
apṛthaktve ca saṃbandhastayornānātmanoriva || 16 ||16. The primordial substance is the expressed meaning of all words. The words themselves are not different from it. Though not different from one another, there is a relation between them as though they were different from one another.
Commentary
[Thus, what is called substance (dravya) is really Brahman, the only persisting reality. It is that which is expressed by all words. All usage is based on differences brought about by limiting factors. It is based on nescience. All words therefore, express Brahman, differentiated on the basis of limiting factors. Even words like ātmā, brahman, tattva express that primordial substance through some limiting factor or other. Because that which is beyond all limiting factor (nirupādhi) is also beyond the range of words. In comparison with words like ghaṭa, words like ātmā are much nearer to the ultimate reality. In fact, words themselves are not different from the ultimate Reality. In the world, one talks as if they were different from one another.]
The author now gives an illustration to show that the manifestations are unreal and only unity is real.