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 3.3.6
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.3.6:
तद्धर्मणोस्तु ताच्छब्द्यं संयोगसमवाययोः ।
तयोरप्युपकारार्था नियतास्तदुपाधयः ॥ ६ ॥taddharmaṇostu tācchabdyaṃ saṃyogasamavāyayoḥ |
tayorapyupakārārthā niyatāstadupādhayaḥ || 6 ||6. Conjunction and inherence are called relations because they have the attribute thereof. They have definite conditions the purpose of which is to render service.
Commentary
The author now says why relation is being spoken of, considering that others have already spoken about relations such as conjunction and inherence.
[Read verse 6 above]
[Conjunction and inherence do possess the chief characteristic of relation, namely, dependence. The application of the word relation to them is really a case of secondary usage. Primarily, it is not they which constitute relation. When they themselves are conditioned by other things, the latter become dependent (paratantra) and they become svatantra and as dependence is the chief characteristic of relation, they cease to be so. They can have their own upādhi which render them service. When the relation between them and their upādhi is regulated by a relation, how can they be identified with something which is purely dependance?]
The limiting factor of conjunction is now being stated.