Verse 119

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

मा वा प्रमाणसत्ता भूद्धेतुसद्भावसिद्धये ।
तथाऽपि मानाभावेन नैवार्थासत्वनिश्चयः ॥ ११९ ॥

mā vā pramāṇasattā bhūddhetusadbhāvasiddhaye |
tathā'pi mānābhāvena naivārthāsatvaniścayaḥ || 119 ||

It may be that there are no proofs for the existence of the ‘cause’ of things; but the mere absence of proof (means of cognising) cannot prove the non-existence of any thing.—(119)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Thus it has been shown that the conclusion (of the other party) is contrary to facts of Perception and that their Reason is ‘unproven, Inadmissible’; now the Author takes for granted (for the sake of argument) the ‘admissibility’ of the Reason, and then proceeds to show its ‘Inconclusiveness’—in the following Text:—[see verse 119 above]

If mere ‘Non-apprehension’ is put forward as the reason for the nonexistence of the Cause, then it is ‘Inconclusive’; because mere absence of proof—i.e. mere absence of a valid means of knowing,—cannot serve as a reason for establishing the non-existence of the thing concerned.—(119)

Question:—“Why cannot it be a proof?”

The answer is provided in the following Text:—[see verse 120 next]