Verse 1137

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

ननु चैतेन विधिना सर्वमेकं वचो हतम् ।
नान्यत्रास्ति विवक्षा चेत्सैवास्त्वस्य निबन्धनम् ॥ ११३७ ॥

nanu caitena vidhinā sarvamekaṃ vaco hatam |
nānyatrāsti vivakṣā cetsaivāstvasya nibandhanam || 1137 ||

In this way all words in the singular number become doomed.—If it be argued that “in the case of other words (in the singular number) the speaker’s wish does not lie that way”,—then that wish itself might be the basis in the cases in question also.—(1137)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

In the way described above,—all words in the Singular Number,—like ‘vṛkṣaḥ’—become doomed,—discarded; as the said reasoning would apply everywhere. As in regard to every word in the Singular Number, it might be said that “if the word is used in reference to the Individual, etc.”, (Kumārila’s words in the preceding Text.)

It might be argued that—in the case of other words,—like ‘vṛkṣaḥ’—the Speaker’s wish does not lie towards speaking of the Individuals and the Universals”.

In that case, Number (in words) would not be in accordance with the number of things,—on the contrary, the presence and absence that would determine the Number (in words) would be the Speaker’s wish itself. In that case, in the case of words like ‘dārāḥ’ also, that same wish may very well form the determining factor; the idea being that, even when there is no diversity (multiplicity) in the thing, the Plural Number is used because there is the Speaker’s wish to speak of it as many.

Thus our Reason is not ‘unproven’.—(1137)