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 3.13.23
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.13.23:
प्रयोगो विप्रयोगश्च लोके यत्रोपलभ्यते ।
शास्त्रमारभ्यते तत्र न प्रयोगाविपर्यये ॥ २३ ॥prayogo viprayogaśca loke yatropalabhyate |
śāstramārabhyate tatra na prayogāviparyaye || 23 ||23. When correct and incorrect usages are seen in the world, the śāstra intervenes and not when no incorrect usage is seen in the world.
Commentary
The śāstra teaches accent and the M. Bhā. has not declared it improper. Why then does it consider the teaching of gender improper?
[Read verse 23 above]
[In the world, one hears expressions like akṣīṇi me darśanīyāni = ‘my eyes are beautiful’ in which the plural number is used even though there are only two eyes, calling for the use of the dual number. That is why the śāstra says: bahuṣu bahuvacanam (P. 1. 4. 21) the plural number should be used when there arc many (that is, three or more.) Where no wrong usage is seen and yet the śāstra intervenes, there the M. Bhā declares it unnecessary.
That is why P. 1.4.80 and 2.2.30 have been declared unnecessary by Vā. 2 on P. 2.2.30 as follows:
na vāniṣṭādarśanāt =
“The sūtra need not have been given at all, because no usage contrary to it is seen.”
It is for the same reason that the M. Bhā has declared that gender need not be taught.]