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 3.14.258
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.258:
कामचारे च सत्येवमसतः स्यात् प्रधानता ।
गुणत्वमितरेषां च तेषां वा स्यात् प्रधानत् ॥ २५८ ॥kāmacāre ca satyevamasataḥ syāt pradhānatā |
guṇatvamitareṣāṃ ca teṣāṃ vā syāt pradhānat || 258 ||258. Thus, there being option, the non-existence may be the main meaning and the others secondary or it may be that the others represent the main meaning.
Commentary
[The relation of qualifier and qualified which implies the idea of primary and secondary, is a matter of the speaker’s intention. So in abrāhmaṇa, all the three views are possible. When non-existence in general (asatsāmānyam) is meant to be the main meaning, then there is predominance of the meaning of the first word, because that is the meaning of the negative particle. When the meanings of the second constituents are meant to be the main ones, then there is predominance of the meaning of the second constituent. Lastly, when the meanings of the two words refer to the meaning of an outside word, there is predominance of the meaning of the outside word (anyapadārthaprādhānya). In a sentence, the negative particle has no independent meaning. It is not expressive but only indicative. Therefore there is no option as far as the relation of qualifier and qualified is concerned and so the three views cannot arise. They can arise only when there is no fixity in the relation of qualifier and qualified, That is not the case in a sentence and that is why the negative particle has no gender and number in a sentence. It is not so in a compound where the negative particle is expressive of sattva = substance.]
Of the three views which can arise the predominance of the meaning of the second constituent is mentioned in the Bhāṣya first. It is now going to be considered.