Ādi-līlā, Chapter 2
137
TRANSLATION
“One should not state a predicate before its subject, for it cannot thus stand without proper support.”
PURPORT
This rhetorical rule appears in the  Ekādaśī-tattva , Thirteenth Canto, in connection with the metaphorical use of words. An unknown object should not be put before the known subject because the object has no meaning if the subject is not first given.
TEXT 75
অমুবাদ মা কহিয়া মা কহি বিধেয় ।
আগে অমুবাদ কহি, পশ্চাদ্বিধেয় ॥ ৭৫ ॥
anuvāda nā kahiyā nā kahi vidheya
āge anuvāda kahi, paścād vidheya
SYNONYMS
anuvāda —the subject;  nā kahiyā —not saying;  nā —not;  kahi —I say;  vidheya —the predicate;  āge —first;  anuvāda —the subject;  kahi —I say;  paścād —afterwards;  vidheya —the predicate.
TRANSLATION
If I do not state a subject, I do not state a predicate. First I speak the former and then I speak the latter.
TEXT 76
‘বিধেয়’ কহিয়ে তারে, যে বস্তু অজ্ঞাত ।
‘অমুবাদ’ কহি তারে, যেই হয় জ্ঞাত ॥ ৭৬ ॥
‘vidheya’ kahiye tāre, ye vastu ajñāta
‘anuvāda’ kahi tāre, yei haya jñāta
SYNONYMS
vidheya —the predicate;  kahiye —I say;  tāre —to him;  ye —that;  vastu —thing;  ajñāta —unknown;  anuvāda —the subject;  kahi —I say;  tāre —to him;  yei —that which;  haya —is;  jñāta —known.
TRANSLATION
The predicate of a sentence is what is unknown to the reader, whereas the subject is what is known to him.