Verse 122

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

सर्वादृष्टिश्च सन्दिग्धा स्वादृष्टिर्व्यभिचारिणी ।
विन्ध्याद्रिरन्ध्रदूर्वादेरदृष्टावपि सत्वतः ॥ १२२ ॥

sarvādṛṣṭiśca sandigdhā svādṛṣṭirvyabhicāriṇī |
vindhyādrirandhradūrvāderadṛṣṭāvapi satvataḥ || 122 ||

‘Non-perception’ by all persons is doubtful; ‘non-perception’ by any one person himself is inconclusive; as it is found that the grass and other things growing in the caves of the vindhya mountain do exist, even though they are not perceived.—(122)

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Further, when ‘non-apprehension’ is put forward as the Reason (for non-existence), is it put forward in the form of the absence of perception by all men? Or of the absence of perception of any one person himself?—It cannot be the former; because ordinary men with limited powers of perception can never be sure of any thing being not perceived, by all men; hence it must be always doubtful. People of limited vision have no means of knowing that no man has the perception of an unseen cause for such things as the marks on the wings of the Peacock. As for any single man’s own non-perception, that can never be conclusive:—why?—because even though such things as the grass, the coral, the pebbles and the like growing in mountain-caves are not perceived, yet they do exist; that is, there is nothing incongruous in regarding them as existent.—Thus the reasons adduced being doubtful, the non-existence cannot be regarded as proved beyond doubt.—(122)