Verse 1700

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

ऐतिह्यप्रतिभादीनां भूयसा व्यभिचारिता ।
नैवेदृशां प्रमाणत्वं घटतेऽतिप्रसङ्गतः ॥ १७०० ॥

aitihyapratibhādīnāṃ bhūyasā vyabhicāritā |
naivedṛśāṃ pramāṇatvaṃ ghaṭate'tiprasaṅgataḥ || 1700 ||

‘Tradition’ (aitihya), ‘intuition’ (pratibhā) and the rest are found to be false in many cases; hence these cannot be regarded as ‘means of right cognition’; as such assumption would lead to incongruities.—(1700)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

There are others who regard ‘Tradition’, etc. also as distinct Means of Cognition.—Of these ‘Tradition’ is that Means or Form of Cognition whose original promulgator cannot be discerned, but has come down through a long-continued assertion;—e.g. ‘A yakṣa resides in this Banyan-tree’.

‘Intuition’ is that cognition indicative of the existence or non-existence of things, which appears suddenly without, any restrictions of Time or Place; e.g. when the virgin has the notion ‘my brother will come to-day’; and this does come about; hence it is valid cognition.

The objection to the above is set forth in the following:—[see verse 1700 above]

The phrase ‘and the rest’ includes ‘Recognition’ and others; these also are regarded by some others as ‘Means of Right Cognition’,

‘Would lead to incongruities’;—e.g. Dream-Cognition might be found to be true in a certain case and thereby come to be regarded as a valid Means or form of Cognition.—(1700)

End of Section (G).