Verse 1272

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

भेदो वैशिष्ट्यमुक्तं हि न विशेषणसङ्ग्तिः ।
भिन्नमित्यपि तद्वाचा नानुविद्धं प्रतीयते ॥ १२७२ ॥

bhedo vaiśiṣṭyamuktaṃ hi na viśeṣaṇasaṅgtiḥ |
bhinnamityapi tadvācā nānuviddhaṃ pratīyate || 1272 ||

What is meant by ‘being qualified’ (distinguished) is ‘difference”—not the connection of qualifications. but the idea also that ‘this is different’ is not cognised as associated with words.—(1272)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Question:—“Then are all such expressions as ‘qualified’, ‘being, distinguished’, ‘qualified character’, and so forth purely negative?”

Answer:—[see verse 1272 above]

‘Difference’—i.e. Differentiation (Preclusion) from homogeneous and heterogeneous things;—and this is not anything different from the thing differentiated; it is the thing itself which is spoken of in that form, through, the exclusion of other things, when this exclusion is meant to be emphasised.

The following might be urged—“If there is always the apprehension of the Thing as distinguished from homogeneous and heterogeneous things,, then the Apprehension becomes ‘determinate’ (Conceptual); because it appears in the Verbal form ‘This is different Otherwise how could it apprehend the ‘difference’, if it appeared in any other form? When a certain apprehension appears in one form, it cannot be said to apprehend another; if it did so, it would lead to an absurdity.”

The answer to this is—‘But the idea also, etc. etc.’—(1272)