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 3.14.557
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.557:
कृतहस्तवदित्येतत् प्रसिद्धेष्वेव दृश्यते ।
राजत्वेन प्रसिद्धे च राज्ञि राजवदित्यपि ॥ ५५७ ॥kṛtahastavadityetat prasiddheṣveva dṛśyate |
rājatvena prasiddhe ca rājñi rājavadityapi || 557 ||557. The expression kṛtahastavat = ‘as befits a practised hand’, is used only in regard to well-known persons. Similarly, one says rājavad in regard to a person who is well-known as a model king.
Commentary
[Even when one of the ancient model kings is mentioned, there need not be any idea of comparison. The word kṛtahasta means a practised hand. Arjuna and others are known to be such. About him, one can say: ciccheda kṛtahastavat = ‘he cut like a practised hand.’ Here no comparison is meant between Arjuna and somebody else. All that is meant to be conveyed is that he did the job in an excellent manner, worthy of his training. Similarly in Pāṇḍor vidura! rājavad pretakāryāṇi kāraya = ‘oh Vidura! get the funerals of Pāṇḍu performed as befit a king’. There is no comparison of Pāṇḍu with anybody else. All that is meant is that the funerals should be performed as befit a king.]
The exact scope of P. 5.1.117 is now stated.