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 3.1.56
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.1.56:
लिङ्गात्तु स्याद् द्वितीयादेस्तदेकत्वं विवक्षितम् ।
एकार्थविषयत्वे च तल्लिङ्गं जातिसङ्ख्ययोः ॥ ५६ ॥liṅgāttu syād dvitīyādestadekatvaṃ vivakṣitam |
ekārthaviṣayatve ca talliṅgaṃ jātisaṅkhyayoḥ || 56 ||56. The mention of second etc is an indication that the singular number is significant. It is also an indication that both the universal and number are found in the same thing.
Commentary
The author now says that, even those who hold that the suffix expressive of the singular number is only for the sake of lending completeness to the word, consider it to be significant for other reasons.
[Read verse 56 above]
[After having declared: Āgneyamajamagniṣṭoma ālabheta, it is said: aindrāgnaṃ dvitīyam ukthye, aindraṃ pṛśniṃ tṛtīyam ṣoḍaśini. The very mention of dvitīya = second, tṛtīya = third etc is a proof that the number one expressed by the suffix is significant. It also proves that the universal and number are found in the same object. Unless the universal is found completely in one individual, it would be impossible to sacrifice a second animal. Unless the whole universal is found in an animal, it would not be that animal at all. As Helārāja puts it: Yāvatā hi vinā nopapadyate tāvato'rthasyaitalliṅgam].