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...
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Verse 2.297
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 2.297:
यच्चोपघातजं ज्ञानं यच्च ज्ञानमलौकिकम् ।
न ताभ्यां व्यवहारोऽस्ति शब्दा लोकनिबन्धनाः ॥ २९७ ॥yaccopaghātajaṃ jñānaṃ yacca jñānamalaukikam |
na tābhyāṃ vyavahāro'sti śabdā lokanibandhanāḥ || 297 ||297. The world does not regulate its verbal usage on the basis of knowledge arising from defective senses or which is of a supernatural character. Words are based on worldly tradition.
Commentary
[ Knowledge due to some defect in the senses is the opposite of truth and is illustrated by mirages and the seeing of two moons. Supernatural knowledge is that of Rṣis. Neither of them is fit for worldly transactions.
Though the Vṛtti has gaps here also, the following relevant sentences may be noted—.. .yogināṃ sarvajñānāṃ ca jñānam. śabdavyavahāreṣu tair api nānugamyate. Prākṛtalokadrṣṭinibandhanatvācca śabdārthasambandhasya sarveṇārthābhidhāne yatnaṃ kurvatā lokaḥ prathito nugantavyah.]