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 3.7.141-142
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.7.141-142:
मेषान्तरक्रियापेक्षमवधित्वं पृथक् पृथक् ।
मेषयोः स्वक्रियापेक्षं कर्तृत्वं च पृथक् पृथक् ॥ १४१ ॥
अभेदेन क्रियैका तु द्विसाध्या चेद्विवक्षिता ।
मेषावपाये कर्तारौ यद्यन्यो विद्यतेऽवधिः ॥ १४२ ॥meṣāntarakriyāpekṣamavadhitvaṃ pṛthak pṛthak |
meṣayoḥ svakriyāpekṣaṃ kartṛtvaṃ ca pṛthak pṛthak || 141 ||
abhedena kriyaikā tu dvisādhyā cedvivakṣitā |
meṣāvapāye kartārau yadyanyo vidyate'vadhiḥ || 142 ||141. In regard to the other ram, each one is the starting point; in regard to its own action, each one is the agent.
142. If the same action is presented as accomplished by both, then both become agents of the action of departure (separation) if some other starting-point is mentioned.
Commentary
[Read verse 141 above]
What happens when the two rams are not presented as starting-points for each other is now explained.
[Read verse 142 above]
[In the sentence meṣāv apasarpataḥ both the rams are presented as agents of the action of going away. Both would, however, become agents of the action of departure (apāya) if some starting point were mentioned as in parvatād apasarpataḥ = ‘the two move away (depart) from the hill’.]
It is now shown that there cannot be any apāya unless there is a starting-point.