Verse 975-976

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

न नेति ह्युच्यमानेऽपि निषेधस्य निषेधनम् ।
पचतीत्यनिषिद्धं तु स्वरूपेणैव तिष्ठति ॥ ९७५ ॥
साध्यत्वप्रत्ययश्चात्र तथा भूतादिरूपणम् ।
निष्पन्नत्वादपोहस्य निर्निमित्तं प्रसज्यते ॥ ९७६ ॥

na neti hyucyamāne'pi niṣedhasya niṣedhanam |
pacatītyaniṣiddhaṃ tu svarūpeṇaiva tiṣṭhati || 975 ||
sādhyatvapratyayaścātra tathā bhūtādirūpaṇam |
niṣpannatvādapohasya nirnimittaṃ prasajyate || 976 ||

“Even when na-na would be uttered, there would be negation of negation only; so that the pacati (action of cooking) would remain there in its own (positive) form.—similarly in the case of verbs there is the idea of being in course of accomplishment, as also that of the past, etc.; and as Apoha is something well-established, these ideas would be baseless (if Apoha were all that is denoted by words).”—[Ślokavārtika-Apoha 140-141]—(975-976)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following might be urged—‘There may be nothing to be negatived actually figuring in the exclusion, even so, there may be a probable counter-entity (na-pacati) of which there could be negation in the form na-na-pacati.’ [So that the denotation of the verb pacati would be na-na-pacati]:

This is answered in the following—[see verses 975-976 above]

Even when the expression ‘na-na-pacati’ is uttered, what is expressed is only the negation of a probable negation.

‘What is the harm in that?’

Answer:—So that the ‘pacati etc. etc.; that is to say, two negatives always denote an affirmation; so that on the use of the said expression, the action of ‘pacati’ remains there in its positive form; hence the denotation of the word would be positive (not negative, in the shape of Apoha).

Then again, the verb ‘pacati’ signifies an act in the course of being accomplished; and that action is regarded as in the course of being accomplished of which some portions have been accomplished while some are still unaccomplished, and of which therefore the portions happen to be in a certain order of sequence.—Similarly in the case of such verbs as ‘abhūt’ (Past Tense) and ‘bhaviṣyati’ (Future Tense), there are ideas of past and future points of time.

—In regard to the Apoha however, no such ideas of being in course of accomplishment, etc. is possible; because it is a fully accomplished thing consisting entirely of Negation. Consequently, under the view that Apoha is denoted by words, the idea of being in course of accomplishment and also the idea of ‘past’, ‘future’ and the like can have no basis at all; hence it is contrary to experience.

‘Bhūtādirūpaṇam’,—the conception, idea, of the Past, etc.—(975-976)