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 1.45
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.45:
आत्मभेदस्तयोः केचिदस्तीत्याहुः पुराणगाः ।
बुद्धिभेदादभिन्नस्य भेदमेके प्रचक्षते ॥ ४५ ॥ātmabhedastayoḥ kecidastītyāhuḥ purāṇagāḥ |
buddhibhedādabhinnasya bhedameke pracakṣate || 45 ||45. That there is an essential difference between them is the view of some followers of tradition. Others, on the other hand, think that they are one but appear to be different owing to difference in the point of view.
Commentary
When the word ‘essential difference’ is the object of the verb brū (āhuḥ), it takes the second case-affix (dvitīyā) but when the whole sentence as uttered by the followers of tradition is imitated, it takes the first case-affix (prathamā). According to the view that the effect is different from the cause, the difference between the two (kinds of words mentioned in the previous verse) is clear. According to the other view (that the effect is not different from the cause) one and the same thing is thought of as two on the basis of difference in point of view resulting from its two powers. Or the difference of opinion among ancient thinkers may be based on then difference of opinion regarding the identity or difference of the universal and the particular of words.1 This matter will be discussed in detail later.
Notes
1. śabdākṛtivyaktibhedābheda—“Tatra keṣāṃcic chabdākṛtir nimittaṃ śabdavyaktir vācikā. Apareṣām etad eva viparītam. Tayoś ca kecid bhedam abhedaṃ cāpare pratipannāḥ. (Vṛ.)