Verse 511

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

न च जातं पुरस्तेन शक्यं जनयितुं पुनः ।
अभूतभावरूपत्वाज्जन्मनो नान्यथा स्थितिः ॥ ५११ ॥

na ca jātaṃ purastena śakyaṃ janayituṃ punaḥ |
abhūtabhāvarūpatvājjanmano nānyathā sthitiḥ || 511 ||

What has already come into existence cannot be produced by it over again; because what is meant by a thing ‘coming into existence’ is that there should comb about something that did not exist before. If it were not so, then there would be no resting at all.—(511)

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

‘If it were not so, then there would be no resting’;—i.e. if it were not as stated, then there would be no resting,—i.e. there would be no limit; i.e. there would be an infinite regress. If what has come into existence were to be produced again, then there would be an equal possibility of its being produced over again; and in this way there would be an infinite regress of productions,—there would be no cessation in the activity of the Cause,—and the Causes themselves would be liable to be produced; as there would be nothing to distinguish them;—and the result would be that there could be no such distinction as ‘this is the Cause and that the Effect’.—(511)