Verse 707

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

देशान्तरोपलब्धेस्तु नैरन्तर्येण जन्मनः ।
समानापरवस्तूनां गतिभ्रान्तिः प्रदीपवत् ॥ ७०७ ॥

deśāntaropalabdhestu nairantaryeṇa janmanaḥ |
samānāparavastūnāṃ gatibhrāntiḥ pradīpavat || 707 ||

The notion of ‘going’ is an illusion,—as in the lamp-flame,—due to the appearance of different but similar things being found consecutively in diverse places.—(707)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Question—“If this is so, then how is it that people speak of Going?”

Answer:—[see verse 707 above]

‘Different but similar things’;—‘different’ and ‘similar’ are compounded first,—then that compound is compounded with ‘tilings—Of these different and similar things,—there is appearance (birth)—which is consecutive,—i.e. in a place other than that of its own Cause,—when such appearance is seen, there arises, from it, the notion that it is ‘going’;—just as in the case of the Lamp-flame, when it is being carried by someone, there appears the notion that ‘the Lamp-flame is moving’; while certainly the same Lamp-flame does not move from one place to another; because it has been held (even by the Vaiśeṣika) to last for six moments only. Further, what is called the ‘birth’ (appearance) of a thing consists in mere Being, entirely devoid of any preceding or succeeding end; and the apprehension of such ‘birth’ or ‘appearance’ is only natural.

Or ‘janmanaḥ’ may be construed as Ablative;—the sense being—‘because things are born consecutively, therefore different and similar things are perceived in different places’.—(707)

End of Chapter on ‘Action’.