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 3.14.249
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.249:
शब्दान्तरेऽपि चैकत्वमाश्रित्यैव विचारणा ।
अब्राह्मणादिषु नञः प्रयोगो न हि विद्यते ॥ २४९ ॥śabdāntare'pi caikatvamāśrityaiva vicāraṇā |
abrāhmaṇādiṣu nañaḥ prayogo na hi vidyate || 249 ||249. Even though it (the compound) is a different word, consideration proceeds on the basis of its identification (with the analytic sentence). In compounds like abrāhmaṇa, one does not see the use of the negative particle na.
Commentary
[In the course of the grammatical derivation of a compound, it is assumed to be identical in meaning with the sentence which analyses it (vigrahavākya). In the sentence, one sees na and the a of the compound is identified with this na. So one secs the meaning of the sentence in the compound. Whatever inner distinction one sees in the meaning of a compound is based on the identification between the compound and the analytic sentence. As we understand the idea of nonexistence or negation from the compound, we conclude that the a in it corresponds to the na of the sentence. In adhika and apanaya also there is a but the idea of negation is not understood from it. Of course, in reality, the word abrāhmaṇa is indivisible.]