Vakyapadiya Verse 1.30-32

Sanskrit

नागमादृते धर्मस्तर्केण व्यवतिष्ठते । ऋषीणामपि यज्ज्ञानं तदप्यागमपूर्वकम् ॥ ३० ॥

धर्मस्य चाव्यवच्छिन्नाः पन्थानो ये व्यवस्थिताः । न तांल्लोकप्रसिद्धत्वात् कश्चित्तर्केण बाधते ॥ ३१ ॥

अवस्थादेशकालानां भेदाद् भिन्नासु शक्तिषु । भावानामनुमानेन प्रसिद्धिरतिदुर्लभा ॥ ३२ ॥

Transliteration

nāgamādṛte dharmastarkeṇa vyavatiṣṭhate | ṛṣīṇāmapi yajjñānaṃ tadapyāgamapūrvakam || 30 ||

dharmasya cāvyavacchinnāḥ panthāno ye vyavasthitāḥ | na tāṃllokaprasiddhatvāt kaścittarkeṇa bādhate || 31 ||

avasthādeśakālānāṃ bhedād bhinnāsu śaktiṣu | bhāvānāmanumānena prasiddhiratidurlabhā || 32 ||

Translation

30. Dharma cannot be determined by reasoning alone, without the help of tradition. Even the knowledge of the Seers is due to their previous observance of the tradition.

31. Nobody can violate, on the basis of reasoning, those paths of Dharma which have come down without a break, because they are accepted in the world.

32. It is extremely difficult to establish, by reasoning the nature of objects, because their properties differ according to difference in circumstances, place and time.

---

Index: Vakyapadiya