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 3.1.4
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.1.4:
अस्वातन्त्र्यफलो बन्धिः प्रमाणादीव शिष्यते ।
अतो जात्यभिधानेऽपि शक्तिहीनं न गृह्यते ॥ ४ ॥asvātantryaphalo bandhiḥ pramāṇādīva śiṣyate |
ato jātyabhidhāne'pi śaktihīnaṃ na gṛhyate || 4 ||4. (In the injunction ‘khādire badhnāti’) the root ‘√bandh’ (to bind) denoting an action which results in loss of independence is taught like the act of killing (pramāṇa) etc. Therefore, though the universal is the primary meaning, nothing that is devoid of ‘power’ is taken.
Commentary
The author now points out how, even according to those who hold that the word primarily conveys the universal and not capacity through the universal the use of substitutes can be explained.
[Read verse 4 above]
[Even according to those who maintain that the word primarily conveys the universal, the use of a substitute can be explained. In the injunction khādire badhnāti, the action denoted by the verb is that of binding the animal to the sacrificial post, resulting in its loss of independence. That can take place only if a post which has the power to yield the desired result is used. Therefore, a substitute is allowed if the original article, the khadira wood, is not available.]
The author now points out that there is an indication on the basis of which a substitute can be allowed.