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 2.37
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.37:
वाक्येष्वर्थान्तरगतेः सादृश्यं परिकल्प्यते ।
केषाञ्चिद् रूढिशब्दत्वं शास्त्र एवानुगम्यते ॥ ३७ ॥vākyeṣvarthāntaragateḥ sādṛśyaṃ parikalpyate |
keṣāñcid rūḍhiśabdatvaṃ śāstra evānugamyate || 37 ||37. While resemblance is postulated (between the meaning of the compound word and the analytical sentence which explains it) in the case of some compounds where the analysis conveys a totally different meaning, the Science of Grammar itself looks upon them as conventional words.
Commentary
[A difference is pointed out between compound words like rājapuruṣa and tailapāyikā. The meaning conveyed by the former and the meaning obtained from its analysis are very similar. So it is not looked upon as a mere rūḍhi word. The meaning conveyed by the second compound is that of cockroach, a kind of insect. The meaning obtained by analysis is: “that which drinks oil” which is quite different from what the whole compound means. That is why it is a rūḍhi word. In regard to such words, grammar teaches some special operations as in P. 6.2.76, 77, 146; P. 6.3.53 etc. This is pointed out by the Vṛtti.]