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 3.1.34
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.1.34:
तां प्रातिपदिकार्थं च धात्वर्थं च प्रचक्षते ।
सा नित्या सा महानात्मा तामाहुस्त्वतलादयः ॥ ३४ ॥tāṃ prātipadikārthaṃ ca dhātvarthaṃ ca pracakṣate |
sā nityā sā mahānātmā tāmāhustvatalādayaḥ || 34 ||34. That is the meaning of the stem and of the root; it is eternal, it is the great Soul; it is the meaning of the suffixes -tva and -tal.
Commentary
[In all things, there is the comprehensive universal called ‘Being’. Even negative entities have it because they also figure in our mind. Hence every noun-stem denotes this, whether it is the name of a positive or negative entity. Roots also do the same. They denote ‘Being’ as existing in the different individual actions which depend upon the accessories (sādhana) for their accomplishment'. Thus, it is this Being which is presented as finished or accomplished (siddha) by nouns and as a process (sādhya) by roots and there is no third possibility. It is not merely the stem and the root which thus denote Being, but also the suffixes. They denote Being as associated with such limiting factors as number, accessory etc. Not merely according to the monists, but according to the followers of Sankhya also, all words denote Being which is the same as what they call ‘Mahat’ or Buddhi], Remark: For the Sankhya view, see Vyāsabhāṣya on Y. Dar. II. 19.
This idea is now further explained—[Read next verse]