Verse 1577

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

बुद्धिस्थोऽपि न चेत्तस्यामवस्थायां भवेदसौ ।
क्रियते समयः कस्मिन्नयं च सदृशो गवा ॥ १५७७ ॥

buddhistho'pi na cettasyāmavasthāyāṃ bhavedasau |
kriyate samayaḥ kasminnayaṃ ca sadṛśo gavā || 1577 ||

If at the time of the convention, the gavaya was not present even in the mind,—then with reference to what is the convention made that ‘it is similar to the cow’?—(1577)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following might be urged:—“At the time that the relevant Convention,—in the form ‘The Gavaya is like the Cow’,—was made, the Gavaya was not present in the Mind at all; hence the Instance cited is madmissible”.

The Answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 1577 above]

‘Even in the mind’—the term ‘even’ means—‘it is not only not seen, (but also not present in the mind)’.

If there is nothing that appears in the Mind as qualified by similarity to the Cow,—then, at the time that the Convention is made in the form ‘it is similar to the Cow’,—on what thing is this Convention based? And yet, such a Convention is actually made hence it has to be admitted that at the time of the making of the Convention, there is something present in the Mind which is qualified by similarity to the Cow.—(1577)