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 3.1.52
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.1.52:
एकत्वं वा बहुत्वं वा केषाञ्चिदविवक्षितम् ।
तद्धि जात्यभिधानाय द्वित्वं तु स्याद्विवक्षितम् ॥ ५२ ॥ekatvaṃ vā bahutvaṃ vā keṣāñcidavivakṣitam |
taddhi jātyabhidhānāya dvitvaṃ tu syādvivakṣitam || 52 ||52. According to some, the singular and the plural numbers are not significant, as they serve only to convey the universal. But the dual number is significant.
Commentary
To this general rule, some point out an exception,
[Read verse 52 above]
[According to some, the singular and plural numbers may not be meant to be taken seriously. They may be only the means to convey the universal, as in the sentences: brāhmaṇo na hantavyaḥ = a brāhmaṇa is not to be killed, surā na peyā = wine is not to be drunk, vṛṣalair na praveṣṭavyam = śūdras are not to enter. Where the singular number is significant, the word may primarily convey the individual (dravya). The dual number, on the other hand, can never be used for conveying the universal primarily. It always denotes the individual primarily].
The author now says that, sometimes, even the dual number is not significant.