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 3.3.20
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.3.20:
अवाच्यमिति यद् वाच्यं तदवाच्यतया यदा ।
वाच्यमित्यवसीयेत वाच्यमेव तदा भवेत् ॥ २० ॥avācyamiti yad vācyaṃ tadavācyatayā yadā |
vācyamityavasīyeta vācyameva tadā bhavet || 20 ||20. If what is said to be inexpressible is expressed as inexpressible, it would thereby become expressible.
Commentary
Now the Naiyāyika indulges in some casuistry.
[Read verse 20 above]
[The Naiyāyika points out that to say that inherence is inexpressible (avācya) is a contradiction in terms because it comes within the range of the expression ‘inexpressible’ (avācya)].