Verse 1515

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

वचोभ्यो निखिलेभ्योऽपि विवक्षैषाऽनुमीयते ।
प्रत्यक्षानुपलम्भाभ्यां तद्धेतुः सा हि निश्चिता ॥ १५१५ ॥

vacobhyo nikhilebhyo'pi vivakṣaiṣā'numīyate |
pratyakṣānupalambhābhyāṃ taddhetuḥ sā hi niścitā || 1515 ||

From all verbal statements there follows inference of the ‘desire to speak’ (i.e. intention, on the part of the speaker); this (intention) is definitely known to be the cause (source) of the words, through direct perception and non-apprehension.—(1515)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Says the Opponent—“If that is so, then how is it that it has been declared (by a Buddhist writer) that—‘Verbal Cognition is not a distinct form of Cognition, because it proceeds from Inference; just as the Inference, based upon the character of being a product, is drawn by one for his own benefit, so the word also denotes things only through the negation of others’?”

Anticipating this objection, the Author proceeds to show in what way Verbal Cognition is meant to be included under Inference:—[see verse 1515 above]

‘All words’—i.e. all those that are regarded as emanating from human beings.

This ‘Desire to Speak’ or ‘Intention’ is inferred from the Verbal statements, because they are the effects of that Desire,—and not because it is expressed (or denoted) by it. That the said Desire is the cause of the Verbal Statement is ascertained from the fact that there is positive and negative concomitance (between them).

When it was said (by the Buddhist writer) that ‘the word also denotes things only as the negation of others’,—what was meant by ‘denoting’ was only indicating, making known; that is, the explanation provided of that passage is as follows:—Just like the Probans ‘Because it is a product’, it manifests (indicates) a thing by means of the negation or exclusion of other things. This has to be so understood; otherwise, the instance ‘like the Probans Because it is a product’ would be one devoid of the Probandum; because there can be no denoting of ‘being a product’; as the denoting is a property or function of words; so that, if actual denoting were meant, then the statement of the Reason in the form ‘because it denotes things through the negation of others’ would be ‘Too Specific’ (hence Inconclusive).—(1515)

Anticipating this objection in the following Text (1516), the Author asserts (in Text 1517) the fact of the Verbal Expression being an efficient Means of bringing about the cognition of the particular ‘Desire to Speak’—[see verses 1516-1517 next]