Verse 1250-1253

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

नर्त्तकीदृष्ट्यवस्थादावखिलं वेद्यते सकृत् ।
बहुभिर्व्यवधानेऽपि भ्रान्तिःसा चा(श्चेदा?)शुवृत्तितः ॥ १२५० ॥
लतातालादिबुद्धीनामत्यर्थं लघुवर्त्तनम् ।
सकृद्भवाभिमानोऽतः किमत्रापि न वर्त्तते ॥ १२५१ ॥
शुद्धे च मानसे कल्पे व्यवसीयेत न क्रमः ।
अल्पा च सर्वबुद्धीनामाशुवृत्तिश्चिरास्थितेः ॥ १२५२ ॥
अतः सर्वत्र विषये न क्रमग्रहणं भवेत् ।
सकृद्ग्रहणभासस्तु भवेच्छब्दादिबोधवत् ॥ १२५३ ॥

narttakīdṛṣṭyavasthādāvakhilaṃ vedyate sakṛt |
bahubhirvyavadhāne'pi bhrāntiḥsā cā(ścedā?)śuvṛttitaḥ || 1250 ||
latātālādibuddhīnāmatyarthaṃ laghuvarttanam |
sakṛdbhavābhimāno'taḥ kimatrāpi na varttate || 1251 ||
śuddhe ca mānase kalpe vyavasīyeta na kramaḥ |
alpā ca sarvabuddhīnāmāśuvṛttiścirāsthiteḥ || 1252 ||
ataḥ sarvatra viṣaye na kramagrahaṇaṃ bhavet |
sakṛdgrahaṇabhāsastu bhavecchabdādibodhavat || 1253 ||

In the state of things attending upon the watching of the dancing girl, the whole lot sensations is apprehended at one and the same time, even though there are many intervening factors. If this also were regarded as a mistake due to the quick succession in which the sensations appear,—then (the answer is that) there is still quicker succession in the case of cognitions produced by the two words ‘latā’ and ‘tāla’ when pronounced together; why then is there no idea of simultaneity in this case?—Then in a case where the operations of the mind alone are concerned, no succession should be perceived, because all cognitions (mental operations) occur in quick succession and do not stay for any length of time. So that in all these oases (of quick succession), no succession could be perceived. The notion of simultaneous cognition however would be there, just as in the case of perception of sound, etc. (in the case of the dancing girl).—(1250-1253)

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Under such conditions as the witnessing of the dancing girl, we find that each single sensation, even though intervened by five other sensations, appears to be close to, and unseparated from, the other; for instance, at the same time that one sees the girl dancing, he also hears the song and its accompaniments, goes on tasting the camphor and other spices, smells the sweet fragrance of flowers placed before the nostrils, touches the air proceeding from the fans and thinks of making presents of clothes and ornaments. [All this goes on simultaneously.] Thus even when there are so many intervening factors, among the several cognitions, there appears the illusion that all these appear at one and the same time,—this illusion being due to the quick succession in which the cognitions appear;—such being the case even when there are several intervening factors, it becomes all the more possible that there should he the notion of the letters being pronounced at one and the same time, in cases where two words like ‘latā’ and ‘tāla’,—or ‘saraḥ’ and ‘rasaḥ’ are pronounced, where the utterance of the syllables is so much quicker; so that in the case of such utterances as ‘saraḥ-rasaḥ’, when the words are heard, there should be no recognition of the two different words or the two different things denoted by them.—Further, in a case where there is Conceptual Content in the form of pondering over several philosophical and literary problems,—which ponderings are not interrupted by heterogeneous sensations through the Eye, etc.,—the appearance of the ideas is extremely quick; and hence it would not be possible to form any idea of succession in them. And as all Cognitions are momentary, and cannot continue for any length of time they always appear quickly; so that the cognition of nothing could be successive at all;—‘just as in the case of the perception of sound, etc.’;—i.e. just as in the case of the perception of sound, taste, etc. while seeing the girl dancing.—(1250-1253)