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 3.8.53
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.8.53:
साध्यस्यापरिनिष्पत्तेः सोऽयमित्यनुपग्रहः ।
तिङन्तैरन्तरेणेवमुपमानं ततो न तैः ॥ ५३ ॥sādhyasyāpariniṣpatteḥ so'yamityanupagrahaḥ |
tiṅantairantareṇevamupamānaṃ tato na taiḥ || 53 ||53. As a process is something unfinished there cannot be identification in the form, ‘it is that’ with the meanings of verbs without the word iva. Therefore, there cannot be comparison with them.
Commentary
[The meaning of a verb is a process. It cannot, therefore be identified with another process or thing without the use of the word iva as two things can be identified as in the sentence: siṃho māṇavakaḥ = ‘the boy is a lion’. When the word iva is used as in krandatīva gāyati = ‘he sings as though he screams’, it is not identification, but comparison based on difference. Hence the comparison does not relate to the action but to the accessories. In limpatīva tamo'ṅgāni = ‘the darkness seems to smear the body’, ‘it is a case of utprekṣā and not upamā, because the object of comparison is not mentioned.]
Can there be comparison with an action through its accessories?