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 3.14.553
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.14.553:
राजत्वेन प्रसिद्धा ये पृथुप्रभृतयो नृपाः ।
युधिष्ठिरान्तास्तेऽन्येषामुपमानं महीक्षिताम् ॥ ५५३ ॥rājatvena prasiddhā ye pṛthuprabhṛtayo nṛpāḥ |
yudhiṣṭhirāntāste'nyeṣāmupamānaṃ mahīkṣitām || 553 ||553. Kings from Pṛthu to Yudhiṣṭhira, known as model kings are taken as standards of comparison for other kings.
Commentary
How one thing can be thought of as two is now stated.
[Read verse 553 above]
[Ancient kings like Pṛthu were perfect kings and they are taken as standards of comparison for later inferior kings and one says: rājavad ayaṃ vartate = ‘this king behaves like a king’, that is, the present king behaves like an ancient king. As a present king is capable of behaving in an unworthy manner, he is said to behave like a king when one wants to praise him. Thus differentiation has taken place and comparison is possible.]