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 1.9
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.9:
सत्या विशुद्धिस्तत्रोक्ता विद्यैवैकपदागमा ।
युक्ता प्रणवरूपेण सर्ववादाविरोधिना ॥ ९ ॥satyā viśuddhistatroktā vidyaivaikapadāgamā |
yuktā praṇavarūpeṇa sarvavādāvirodhinā || 9 ||9. The true and pure essence has also been taught there, the knowledge capable of being grasped through one word, having the form of Praṇava, and in no way contradicting the different views.
Commentary
No representation in regard to the one all-embracing Brahman is different from the other representations considered to be opposed to it.1 Knowers of Brahman have declared:—
“Even a particular manifestation of Brahman, is not beyond its all-comprehensiveness nor is it different from another.”2
Again—
“All vision is complete and is really not different (from the others) but the experiencer looks upon it as different.”3 The mystic syllable (Praṇava) allows for all points of view, it is the source of all Scripture,4 it is the common factor of all original causes, it is the cause of the rise and fall of doctrines, it accepts within itself all mutually contradictory ideas of Brahman or disallows all of them. The object of this allowance and disallowance does not, therefore, vary.
It has been said:—
“It is one and it is not one; it is both and it is not both. Those who are for action speak of diversity (viṣama) and those who are for knowledge see unity (sama).”
Notes
1. According to Vṛ. as all representations are about the same subject, so they are not opposed to one another: sarvāsāṃ viṣayamātrāṇāṃ satyatvād brahmaiva viṣaya iti viṣayābhedāt pārikalpāntarāṇi na bhidyante.
2. This is given as a statement of Brahmavidaḥ but it is not found in the old Upaniṣads.
3. Vṛ explains anyūnam as follows—Darśanāntarāṅgīkṛtaiḥ padārthair darśanāntaram api yuktam, sarveṣāṃ sarvarūpatvāt The idea seems to be that, as all systems are speculations in regard to Brahan which includes everything, they include one another.
4. Sarvaśrutirūpaḥ. Praṇava is the source of all Scripture (śruti) as the Vedas are manifestations of it. Yataḥ praṇavo Vedarūpeṇa vivṛttaḥ. (Vṛ.). It is also the source of all words (śruti): sarvaśrutirūpaḥ sarvaśabdasvabhāvaḥ sarvaśabdarūpeṇa tasya vivṛtteḥ (Vṛ).