Verse 666

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

प्राप्तावस्थाविशेषे हि नैरन्तर्येण जातितः ।
ये पश्यत्याहरत्येष वस्तुनी ते तथाविधे ॥ ६६६ ॥

prāptāvasthāviśeṣe hi nairantaryeṇa jātitaḥ |
ye paśyatyāharatyeṣa vastunī te tathāvidhe || 666 ||

When a man sees two things having come close together by themselves, he brings those things in that condition (when told to do so).—(666)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

It has been asserted (under Text 656 above) that—“as Conjunction has a particular characteristic it is regarded as distinct”.—This is answered in the following—[see verse 666 above]

As a matter of fact, what falls within the range of the perceiver’s vision is not any distinct thing in the shape of Conjunction, by noticing which he brings up the ‘Conjoined things’; what happens is that he notices that the two things, which were previously in the condition in which there was an interval of space between them, have subsequently come into the condition in which they have come into juxtaposition,—these things come to be spoken of as ‘conjoined things’; as it has been already proved that the term ‘Conjunction’ connotes only a particular condition of things. So that whenever one finds two things in this particular condition in which they become expressible by the term ‘conjoined things’, one brings these, and none others. No intelligent person ever acts on the strength of words, in regard to what is not expressed by those words.—(666)

It has been argued (under Text 658, above) that—“To what would such distinct notions be due as ‘this thing is attached to it—this is detached from it’?”

The answer to this is provided in the following—[see verse 667 next]