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.

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.7.98:

यथा च सन्निधानेन करणत्वं प्रतीयते ।
तथैवासन्निधानेऽपि क्रियासिद्धेः प्रतीयते ॥ ९८ ॥

yathā ca sannidhānena karaṇatvaṃ pratīyate |
tathaivāsannidhāne'pi kriyāsiddheḥ pratīyate || 98 ||

98. Just as instrumentality is understood when a thing is present, in the same way, it is understood when a thing has no existence because the action in question is accomplished.

Commentary

Nor is it necessary that the instrument should have external existence.

[Read verse 97 above]

[Sometimes an action is accomplished by the absence of something. A sword can become an instrument of cutting if it is available. But in the sentence: dhanābhāvena muktaḥ = ‘freed because of the absence of money, it is the absence of money which is the instrument.]

It is now shown that this is confirmed by the sūtra of Panini.

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