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 3.7.25
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.7.25:
द्रव्यादिविषयो हेतुः कारकं नियतक्रियम् ।
कर्ता कर्त्रन्तरापेक्षः क्रियायां हेतुरिष्यते ॥ २५ ॥dravyādiviṣayo hetuḥ kārakaṃ niyatakriyam |
kartā kartrantarāpekṣaḥ kriyāyāṃ heturiṣyate || 25 ||25. The cause (hetu) has substance etc. as its scope whereas an accessory (kāraka) is restricted to action. When an agent depends upon another for the accomplishment of the action, it is also called cause (hetu).
Commentary
The author now points out the difference in the scope of ‘hetu’ and ‘sādhana’ though they both produce effects.
[Read verse 25 above]
[The difference between ‘hetu’ and kāraka is this. That which can bring about a substance (dravya), quality (guṇa.) or action (kriyā) is hetu, as in the following sentences: bījenāṅkuraḥ = ‘through the seed, the sprout,’ dhanena kulam = ‘through wealth, the family, vidyayā yaśaḥ = ‘through learning, fame, śilpābhyāsena naipuṇyam = ‘through practice of a craft, skill,’ agninā pākaḥ = through fire, cooking. That which helps in the accomplishment of the action but is not presented as performing any operation is called ‘hetu’. That is why fire is the ‘hetu’ of cooking (pāka) and takes the third case-ending. The same is true of the other sentences. An accessory (kāraka) can bring about action only. Each one performs some operation or other. There is only one thing which performs some operation and is yet called ‘hetu’: that which prompts another to do something (P. 1.4.55).]
The difference between ‘hetu’ and karaṇa’ is now stated.