Verse 76

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

क्रमाक्रमविरोधेन नित्या नो कार्यकारिणः ।
विषयाणां क्रमित्वेन तज्ज्ञानेष्वपि च क्रमः ॥ ७६ ॥

kramākramavirodhena nityā no kāryakāriṇaḥ |
viṣayāṇāṃ kramitvena tajjñāneṣvapi ca kramaḥ || 76 ||

For us, eternal things cannot produce any effects, because ‘consecutive’ and ‘concurrent’ action are mutually contradictory; and if objects are consecutive, there must be the same consecutiveness in their cognitions also.—(76)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Any such eternal things as God and the like cannot produce any effects; because in any productive activity of an Eternal Thing, there is incompatibility between ‘Consecutiveness’ and ‘Concurrence’; hence only non-eternal things can be productive causes; as it is these alone which go on unceasingly changing their sequential character—of being present now and past at the next moment. Thus it is proved that an Intelligent Maker must be evanescent and many.

As regards' the assertion (of the Naiyāyika) that “God is endowed with eternal and one Consciousness”,—this is contrary to all reason; this is what is indicated by the words ‘If objects are consecutive, etc.’ [Objects being fleeting, evanescent, according to the Naiyāyika also, their cognitions also must be evanescent; hence there can be no eternal cognition or consciousness ].—(76)