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 2.188
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.188:
स वाचको विशेषाणां सम्भवाद् द्योतकोऽपि वा ।
शक्त्याधानाय धातोर्वा सहकारी प्रयुज्यते ॥ १८८ ॥sa vācako viśeṣāṇāṃ sambhavād dyotako'pi vā |
śaktyādhānāya dhātorvā sahakārī prayujyate || 188 ||188. A preposition is expressive of some distinction in the action. It is also possible for it to be a manifestor of it. Or it is used as a help to give strength to the root (to express its meaning).
Commentary
Are prepositions only dyotaka or are they vācaka also?
[Read verse 188 above]
[Thus, this verse mentions three views about prepositions—(1) that they are expressive (2) that they are manifestors of something which exists elsewhere (dyotaka) (3) that they are helps, that is, they and the roots together express a meaning.
The Vṛtti clearly says that three views regarding the upasargas are held by the Ācāryas: Vācakatvaṃ dyotakatvaṃ sahābhidhāyitvam ityupasargeṣu trividhā pratipattir ācāryāṇām. If, due to association with a preposition, a meaning which a root cannot have is understood, then it is said to be expressive of it (vācaka). If it manifests a meaning which the root can have but does not convey, it is said to be a manifestor (dyotaka). If the root and the preposition together convey a particularised action, then it is like a svārthika suffix.]
The reasoning which establishes that prepositions manifest and do not express is now given.