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 2.178
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.178:
भिन्नाविजियजी धातू नियतौ विषयान्तरे ।
कैश्चिद् कथञ्चिदुद्दिष्टौ चित्रं हि प्रतिपादनम् ॥ १७८ ॥bhinnāvijiyajī dhātū niyatau viṣayāntare |
kaiścid kathañciduddiṣṭau citraṃ hi pratipādanam || 178 ||178. Iji and Yaji, two different roots, each restricted to its own scope, are explained differently by different people. There is indeed much variety in the process of derivation.
Commentary
[Puṇyarāja points out that some grammarians teach the root yaj and its samprasāraṇa (change of y into i) when followed by a kit suffix. We would then get iṣṭah, iṣṭvā etc. When followed by tṛc or tumun, no such thing takes place and we get yaṣṭā, yaṣṭum etc. Others say that the root is ij and when followed by tṛc, the i is changed into y.
The Vṛtti says the same thing but gives different examples. It says that in staḥ and santi the root is different from what it is in asti and it consists of s only and has its own special scope, that is, when followed by a ṅit suffix. All these views about words are of a practical character and only resemble reality. In fact, there is no such thing as a root. It is only a practical postulate resorted to by scholars: na hi dhāturūpam paramārthena kiñcid vidyate, vyavahārastu-kaiścit kriyate. Some declare that the root in asti consists of s only and that, when followed by a pit suffix, it takes the augment a. Some teach the root √āhi=‘to speak’, ‘to explain’ the five forms āha etc.]