Verse 1611

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

अन्यलक्षणसंसिद्धौ प्रमाणं नच किञ्चन ।
ज्ञातेनापि न तेनार्थो रूपात्तत्कार्यसिद्धितः ॥ १६११ ॥

anyalakṣaṇasaṃsiddhau pramāṇaṃ naca kiñcana |
jñātenāpi na tenārtho rūpāttatkāryasiddhitaḥ || 1611 ||

There is no means of knowing any other characteristic of potency. even if such another characteristic were known, there would be no use for it; as the effect would be accomplished by the mere presence of the object.—(1611)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following might be urged—“Capacity for effective action is not the characteristic of Potency; it is something else”.

The answer to that is as follows:—[see verse 1611 above]

There is no means of knowing any other characteristic of ‘Potency’,—which Means could distinguish Potency from ‘Negation’—in the form of the absence of all capacity.—Even if such a characteristic were known, it would serve no useful purpose for men who would be seeking for effective action; because the needed effective action will have been accomplished by the presence—i.e. by the very nature—of the Object itself;—as has been declared in the following words: ‘To persons seeking for effective action, what would be the use of cogitating over what is not fit for effective action? Certainly, the young woman has no need to consider whether the impotent man is ugly or handsome—(1611)