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 3.14.305
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.305:
विशेषणं ब्राह्मणादि क्रियासंबन्धिनोऽसतः ।
यदा विषयभिन्नं तत् तदाऽसत्त्व प्रतीयते ॥ ३०५ ॥viśeṣaṇaṃ brāhmaṇādi kriyāsaṃbandhino'sataḥ |
yadā viṣayabhinnaṃ tat tadā'sattva pratīyate || 305 ||305. When a word like brāhmaṇa is a qualifier of non-existence, the meaning of the negative particle, connected with an action, then the non-existence is understood as specified by its object.
Commentary
The anyapadārtha view being thus defective, something is now going to be said about the view that it is the meaning of the first constituent, that is, the negative particle, which is predominant.
[Read verse 305 above]
[The first constituent, the negative particle, means nonexistence. When it is the main meaning, it is that which is naturally connected with action. It is determined, specified, qualified by the meaning of the second constituent brāhmaṇa. This is the position according to this view.]
How the non-existent is connected with action is now explained.