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 3.14.294
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.294:
सङ्ख्यैव प्रतिषेधेन सङ्ख्यान्तरमपेक्षते ।
वाक्येऽपि तेन नैकत्वमात्रमेव निवर्त्यते ॥ २९४ ॥saṅkhyaiva pratiṣedhena saṅkhyāntaramapekṣate |
vākye'pi tena naikatvamātrameva nivartyate || 294 ||294. Even, in a sentence, the number one, when set aside, requires some other number. Therefore, there is not the mere setting aside of the number one.
Commentary
Now a reference is made to an illustration given in the M. Bhā. of the negation of the number one leading to the understanding of other numbers.
[Read verse 294 above]
[The M. Bhā. gives an illustration to show that even where no action is meant to be conveyed, the setting aside of the number one results in the understanding of some other number. In a sentence like na na ekaṃ priyam or na na chain sukham, uttered with the doubling of the negative particle by one who is bothered by the many happy events happening to an enemy (P. 8.1.10.) the setting aside of the number one by the negative particle results in the understanding of other numbers in connection with the priya and sukka happening to the enemy. When a particular thing is negated, it means that the others are allowed. If all are negated, there would be no point in saying ‘one’. So some other number is understood. When this is the case in a sentence, what to say of a compound? There the negation of one does not stop there. It necessarily leads to the understanding of other numbers.]
Why, when the number one is negated some other member is understood and not something totally different is now explained.