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 3.13.22
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.13.22:
स्वरभेदाद्यथा शब्दाः साधवो विषयान्तरे ।
लिङ्गभेदात्तथा सिद्धात्साधुत्वमनुगम्यते ॥ २२ ॥svarabhedādyathā śabdāḥ sādhavo viṣayāntare |
liṅgabhedāttathā siddhātsādhutvamanugamyate || 22 ||22. Just as words with particular accents are correct for the expression of particular things, in the same way, a word with a particular gender which is already settled (by the usage of the cultured) is correct in a particular case.
Commentary
[The same is true of accent also. A word with a particular accent is correct for the expression of a particular object. The same word, with a different accent, is correct for the expression of another thing. In the same way, a word with one gender is correct for expressing one thing and with another gender for expressing another thing. The word ardha when neuter, means exactly half and it means a part (not necessarily half) when it is in the masculine gender.]
The śāstra teaches accent and the M. Bhā. has not declared it improper. Why then does it consider the teaching of gender improper?