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 2.274
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.274:
विपर्यासादिवार्थस्य यत्रार्थान्तरतामिव ।
मन्यन्ते स गवादिस्तु गौण इत्युच्यते क्वचित् ॥ २७४ ॥viparyāsādivārthasya yatrārthāntaratāmiva |
manyante sa gavādistu gauṇa ityucyate kvacit || 274 ||274. When an object appears like another as though by misapprehension, then words like cow expressing the latter are said to be in a secondary sense.
Commentary
The author now speaks about viparyāsa, misapprehension on the basis of the distinction between primary and secondary.
[Read verse 274 above]
[One can apply a word expressive of one thing to another, either through misapprehension or deliberate superimposition. To call mother-of-pearl (śukti) silver after misapprehension in the dark is an example of the first case. To apply the word cow to a vāhīka on seeing some resemblance between the two and not. because of misapprehension is an example of the second case. Here there is no wrong identification because one clearly sees the difference. That is why the word iva is used after viparyāsa.]
The author now -speaks about shape and power as the basis of the distinction between primary and secondary.