Verse 957

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

अभावस्य च योऽभावः स चेत्तस्माद्विलक्षणः ।
भाव एव भवेन्नो चेद्गौरगौस्ते प्रसज्यते ॥ ९५७ ॥

abhāvasya ca yo'bhāvaḥ sa cettasmādvilakṣaṇaḥ |
bhāva eva bhavenno cedgauragauste prasajyate || 957 ||

“If the negation of a negation is different from it,—then it must be a positive entity. If not, then the cow will be the same as the non-cow for you.”—[Ślokavārtika-Apoha 97]—(957)

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Then again, the Apohas could be either different or non-different among themselves. If they are held to be different, then there are objections to that view.—This is shown in the following—[see verse 957 above]

If, ‘Of the negation’—i.e. of that negation which is denoted by the word ‘non-cow’,—‘the negation’—i.e. that which is denoted by the word ‘cow’,—were different from the former Negation,—i.e. something other than it,—then it would be a Positive Entity; because the positive character consists only in the absence of negation.

If it is not different from it, then, for you, the Cow also should be Non-Cow; because what is not-different must be understood to be the same.—(957)