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.

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.1.98:

सकृत्प्रवृत्तावेकत्वमावृत्तौ सदृशात्मताम् ।
भिन्नात्मिकानां व्यक्तीनां भेदापोहात्प्रपद्यते ॥ ९८ ॥

sakṛtpravṛttāvekatvamāvṛttau sadṛśātmatām |
bhinnātmikānāṃ vyaktīnāṃ bhedāpohātprapadyate || 98 ||

98. When the difference between the different individuals is kept down and the two (unity and diversity) are understood together (sakṛtpravṛttau) there is the idea of collection, and when they are understood in turn, there is the idea of resemblance.

Commentary

The author now defines the scope of resemblance.

[Read verse 98 above]

[Resemblance, collection and the universal are allied things, but there is difference between them. In the cognition of resemblance, both difference and identity figure. In the cognition of the universal, only identity figures. In the cognition of collection, unity mixed up with diversity figures. The two appear at the same time. In the cognition of resemblance, on the other hand, first difference figures and then resemblance.]

The author now explains the Bauddha view in regard to the universal.

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