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 3.13.11
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.13.11:
अस्तित्वं च प्रतिज्ञाय सदादर्शनमिच्छतः ।
अत्यन्तादर्शने न स्यादसत्त्वं प्रति निश्चयः ॥ ११ ॥astitvaṃ ca pratijñāya sadādarśanamicchataḥ |
atyantādarśane na syādasattvaṃ prati niścayaḥ || 11 ||11. To put forward the existence of something and to declare that it can never be seen would destroy one’s certainty in the non-existence of anything.
Commentary
[To declare that liṅga exists in objects like a bed (khaṭvā) and to say that it can never be perceived because of the absence of manifesting signs would amount to saying that the non-perception ever of what can be perceived is not a proof of its nonexistence. One would then be led to believe in the existence of even a hare’s horn. To assume the existence of something which is never seen though it can be seen is against all common sense.]