Verse 1848

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

नित्येश्वरादिबुद्धीनां नैवालम्बनमस्ति हि ।
शब्दनामादिधर्माणां तदाकारवियुक्तितः ॥ १८४८ ॥

nityeśvarādibuddhīnāṃ naivālambanamasti hi |
śabdanāmādidharmāṇāṃ tadākāraviyuktitaḥ || 1848 ||

In the case of the cognitions of ‘eternal things’, ‘god’ and so forth,—there is no objective background; as words and names are devoid of the forms of those.—(1848)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

‘And so forth’, includes such other assumed things as Primordial Matter, Time, etc.

No such idea should be entertained as that these cognitions have their objective background in the words; this is what is meant by the words—

‘As Words arid Names, etc, etc.’—What is meant is that the ‘form’ of God-such as Eternality, Being the Cause of all things and so forth,—that is envisaged in the said cognitions,—of that form, the Word or the Name is entirely devoid,—which Word or Name does not undergo any modification.

The term ‘ādi’ in ‘śabdanāmādi’, is meant to include the contingent cause (of Cognition), postulated by other people, in the shape of the Reflected Image of things.—(1848)

Question:—“If then there is Cognition without object also, then how is it called ‘Cognition’? Because ‘Cognition’ stands for that which apprehends things; and when there is nothing to be apprehended, how could the cognition be there?”

Answer:—[see verse 1849 next]