Śāṅkhāyana (Kauṣītaki) Āraṇyaka 8.10

8.10

ŚĀ 8,10
athātas tāṇḍavindasya vacaḥ | tad yatheyaṃ akuśalena vādayitrāvīṇārabdhā na kṛtsnaṃ vīṇārthaṃ sādhayaty evam evākuśalena vaktrā vāg ārabdhā na kṛtsnaṃ vāg arthaṃ sādhayati | tad yathā haiveyaṃ kuśalena vādayitrā vīṇārabdhā kṛtsnaṃ vīṇārthaṃ sādhayaty evam eva kuśalena vaktrā vāg ārabdhā kṛtsnaṃ vāg arthaṃ sādhayati | tasyai vā etasyai vīṇāyai yā tviṣiḥ sā saṃhiteti kātyāyanīputro jātūkarṇyaḥ | atha ha smaitat kṛtsnahārito brāhmaṇam evodāharati ||

Now then, the saying of Tāṇḍavinda. Just as this lute, taken up by an unskilful player, does not achieve the complete purpose of the lute, so speech, taken up by an unskilful speaker, does not achieve the complete purpose of speech. And just as this lute, taken up by a skilful player, achieves the complete purpose of the lute, so speech, taken up by a skilful speaker, achieves the complete purpose of speech. 'The splendour of this very lute is the continuous text (saṃhitā),' says Jātūkarṇya, the son of Kātyāyanī. And Kṛtsnahārita indeed cited a Brāhmaṇa passage concerning this: