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 2.291-293
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.291-293:
स्पर्शप्रबन्धो हस्तेन यथा चक्रस्य सन्तः ।
न तथाऽलातचक्रस्य विच्छिन्नं स्पृश्यते हि तत् ॥ २९१ ॥
वप्रप्राकरातल्पैश्च स्पर्शनावरणे यथा ।
नगरेषु न ते तद्वद् गन्धर्वनगरेष्वपि ॥ २९२ ॥
मुगपश्वादिभिर्यावान् मुख्यैरर्थः प्रसाध्यते ।
तावान्न मृन्मयेऽप्यस्ति तस्मात्ते विषयः कनः ॥ २९३ ॥sparśaprabandho hastena yathā cakrasya santaḥ |
na tathā'lātacakrasya vicchinnaṃ spṛśyate hi tat || 291 ||
vapraprākarātalpaiśca sparśanāvaraṇe yathā |
nagareṣu na te tadvad gandharvanagareṣvapi || 292 ||
mugapaśvādibhiryāvān mukhyairarthaḥ prasādhyate |
tāvānna mṛnmaye'pyasti tasmātte viṣayaḥ kanaḥ || 293 ||291. Just as it is possible to have continuous contact of the hand with the wheel, that is not possible in the case of the torch-wheel which can be touched only with interruption.
292. While it is possible to have contact and protection in the case of cities by means of forts, walls and turrets, it is not possible to have these in the case of imaginary cities.
293. As much work as it is possible to get from real animals cannot be got from earthenware images of them. That is why the affix Kan has been taught by Pāṇini after (words expressive of imitations).
Commentary
[It has been shown so far that the distinction between primary and secondary on which some grammatical operations are based depends upon the reality or unreality of the objects denoted by the words in question. One can tell whether the objects are real or not from the nature of their cognition which, though similar, may be different because of difference in their nature. Now the author speaks about difference between primary and secondary words, the basis for the use of the suffix Kan. P. 5.3.96. teaches the suffix Kan after words expressive of images of objects. One thus gets forms like aśvaka, uṣṭraka, gardabhaka. As the objects are not real animals but only their images, the suffix Kan can be added. Mere resemblance is not enough. It must be an artificial image. There is, of course, secondary usage here also. As the Vṛtti puts it—Tasmāt. kasyacid eva sadṛśasya dharmasya bhāvād upamānopameyabhāva sambandhe sati ‘ive pratikṛtau’ (P 5.3. 96). ityetatprakaraṇavihitānām pratyayānāmutpattau nimittaṃ labhante.]