Manava Dharmashastra 4.256

4.256

śabdārthayornityasambandhādvāci śabde'rthā niyatā ucyante |
vāṅmūlā vaktuḥ svābhiprāyaprakāśanasya tadadhīnatvāttanmūlā ucyante | vāco viniḥsṛtāḥ saṃbhūtāḥ śroturapi pratipattestattulyatvādvāgviniḥsṛtā ucyante | na cātra paunaruktyāśaṅkāparihāre prayatitavyam | anuvādatvādasya yathākathaṃcidrastuparihāratvāt |
tāṃ vācaṃ yaścorayati muṣyātyanyaduktvā'nyadanutiṣṭhatyanyenābhiprāyeṇa saṅkacchate'nyacca darśayati sa sarvasteyakṛt | nāsti tadddravyaṃ suvarṇādi yattena nāpahṛtaṃ bhavatīti nindārthavādo'nṛtavacanasya |

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
The relation between words and their denotations being eternal, things are described as ‘regulated by speech.’

‘Have their root in speech.’— Things are said to have their root in speech, in view of the fact that the ideas of the speaker depend, for their manifestation, upon speech.

‘Emanate from speech,’—are produced out of speech; things are so called, because the ideas of the hearer also are dependent upon speech.

It is not necessary to suspect, or attempt an explanation of, the repetition here involved; because what is stated here is merely a description of things as they are, and as such may be put forward in any manner possible.

He who ‘steals such speech’—misrepresents, having said one thing, does something else; he says something in one sense, and represents it in another sense;—‘is the stealer of all things;’—there is no substance, gold or anything else, which such a man has not stolen.

This is an imaginary statement, deprecatory of telling a lie.—(256)