Verse 571

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

षष्ठीवचनभेदादि विवक्षामात्रसंभवि ।
ततो न युक्ता वस्तूनां तत्स्वरूपव्यवस्थितिः ॥ ५७१ ॥

ṣaṣṭhīvacanabhedādi vivakṣāmātrasaṃbhavi |
tato na yuktā vastūnāṃ tatsvarūpavyavasthitiḥ || 571 ||

The diverse ways of verbal expression wherein the genitive and different numbers are used proceed entirely from the speaker’s whim; hence it is not right to determine the real state of things on the basis of such expressions.—(571)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

It has been argued (under Text 559) that “The Colour differs entirely from the Lotus, etc. etc.”.

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 571 above]

If it were admitted that the use of the Genitive and other forms of verbal expression proceed precisely on the basis of the real state of things, then the existence of such things could be admitted on the basis of those expressions; as a matter of fact, however, verbal expressions proceed entirely from the whim of the speakers,—and they do not depend upon the real state of things; how then can they prove the real existence of anything?

The use of the ‘Genitive’ referred to is in such expressions as ‘Paṭasya rūpaḥ’, ‘Colour of the Cloth’ [which, according to the other party proves the difference of the Cloth from the Colour];—and the use of diverse ‘numbers’ referred to is in such expressions as ‘Paṭaḥ’, ‘Cloth’ (in the Singular), and ‘rūpādayaḥ’ ‘Colour and other qualities’ (in the Plural).—The phrase ‘diverse ways’ is meant to include the use of the Locative,—as in the expression ‘Paṭe rūpādayaḥ’, ‘Colour, etc. in the Cloth’,—and such use of Nominal Affixes as in the expression ‘Paṭasya bhāvaḥ paṭatvam’, [where the Universal character of ‘Cloth’ is spoken of as different from the particular Cloth].—(571)