Verse 939

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

इन्द्रियैर्नाप्यगोऽपोहः प्रथमं व्यवसीयते ।
नान्यत्र शब्दवृत्तिश्च किं दृष्ट्वा स प्रयुज्यताम् ॥ ९३९ ॥

indriyairnāpyago'pohaḥ prathamaṃ vyavasīyate |
nānyatra śabdavṛttiśca kiṃ dṛṣṭvā sa prayujyatām || 939 ||

“As a matter of fact, the Apoha of the non-cow has never been previously perceived by the sense-organs;—and the operation of words does not lie anywhere else. On the perception of what then would the word be used?”—[Ślokavārtika-Apoha 78]—(939)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

“Further, just as it is not right to regard the Specific Individuality and otherngs as denoted by words,—on the ground of the absence of Convention,—so also it cannot be right in the case of Apoha also—This is shown in the following—[see verse 939 above]

The Convention-maker sets up the Convention on the basis of his firm conviction regarding the denotation of the word;—the Apoha however is never perceived by the Sense-organs;—‘previously’—i.e. prior to the using of the word, at the time of fixing up the relation between the name and the named.—It cannot be perceived, because it is a non-entity, and Sense-organs operate only upon entities.

It might be argued that the Word could be used on the apprehension of the Specific Individuality as differentiated from other things.

The answer to that is that ‘the operation of words, etc. etc.’;—‘anywhere else’,—i.e. in anything other than ‘the Apoha of others’,—in the shape of the Specific Individuality.—(939)