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 1.147
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.147:
शब्दः संस्कारहीनो यो गौरिति प्रयुयुक्षिते ।
तमपभ्रंशमिच्छन्ति विशिष्टार्थनिवेशिनम् ॥ १४७ ॥śabdaḥ saṃskārahīno yo gauriti prayuyukṣite |
tamapabhraṃśamicchanti viśiṣṭārthaniveśinam || 147 ||147. When one wants to utter the word gauḥ and actually utters one which is devoid of correctness to convey that particular meaning, it is called a corrupt form (apabhraṃśa).
Commentary
The author of the Saṅgraha has said:
“The correct word is the original of the corrupt form.”
There is no corrupt form which is independent, without an original. Of every corrupt form, a correct form is the original. But some corrupt forms acquire independence by being constantly used and becoming conventional. Instead of saying gauḥ, one uses, either through lack of capacity or through mistake and other causes, the corrupt forms gāvī etc. having the correct form as the original. Such forms lose their correctness when used to denote an object having dew-lap, etc. When used in another meaning (which is its own) it is looked upon as correct. Their incorrectness is not linked with their form only.