Verse 403

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

तत्राप्यन्यव्यपेक्षायामनवस्था प्रसज्यते ।
एकदापि ततः कार्यं नासम्बन्धात्प्रकल्प्यते ॥ ४०३ ॥

tatrāpyanyavyapekṣāyāmanavasthā prasajyate |
ekadāpi tataḥ kāryaṃ nāsambandhātprakalpyate || 403 ||

If it be held that there is need for a further auxiliary,—then there would be an infinite regress. from this it follows that, on account of the absence of relation, the effect cannot be produced even once.—(403)

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

If it be held that “for the producing of the said ‘conditions’ also there is need for other auxiliaries; so that the conditions appear successively and hence there can be no simultaneous appearance of the effects”,—this cannot be right; as in this way, there would be an Infinite Regress. For instance, for these auxiliaries also, there would have to be postulated further auxiliaries for the bringing about of other conditions; of that condition again, which would be different, there would be no relationship,—and if it were to be produced out of the same, then all effects would be produced simultaneously; and if a further auxiliary were needed for that,—the same difficulties would again present themselves.—Thus there being this infinite regress, no relationship between the Thing and the Condition could be established; and when this cannot be established, then the effect would be produced not from the Permanent Thing, but from the Condition itself.—(403)