Verse 1247

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

क्रमेणैवोपजायन्ते विज्ञानानीति चेन्मतम् ।
सकृद्भावाभिमानस्तु शीघ्रवृत्तेरलातवत् ॥ १२४७ ॥

krameṇaivopajāyante vijñānānīti cenmatam |
sakṛdbhāvābhimānastu śīghravṛtteralātavat || 1247 ||

If it be held that “cognitions appear in succession (never simultaneously), and the idea of simultaneous appearance is due to the quickness of the succession; as in the case of the whirling fire-brand”—[then the answer is as stated in the following text].—(1247)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The Opponent might urge that the fact of the ‘determining factor’ appearing along with the Cognition cannot be accepted. This is the argument put forward in the following—[see verse 1247 above]

The question being raised as to why the Cognitions are perceived as appearing simultaneously, if, in reality, they appear in succession,—the answer given is that ‘the idea of simultaneous, etc. etc.’; as in the case of the whirling fire-brand. That is, in the case of the whirling fire-brand, it is found that when the whirling is done very quickly, the idea produced is that of a single flaming circle; all the several perceptions being mixed up as one; in the same manner, cognitions appearing very quickly one after the other, there is the idea of their appearing together as one.

Or, the term ‘alāta’ may be taken as standing for the perceptions of the fire-brand,—the cognition being spoken of figuratively as the object; the sense of the affix ‘vati’ remains the same as before, in this interpretation also.—(1247)

The above argument of the Opponent is answered in the following—[see verse 1248 next]