Verse 1858-1859

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

देहबुद्धीन्द्रियादीनां प्रतिक्षणविनाशने ।
न युक्तं परलोकित्वं नान्यश्चाभ्युपगम्यते ॥ १८५८ ॥
तस्माद्भूतविशेषेभ्यो यथा शुक्तसुरादिकम् ।
तेभ्य एव तथा ज्ञानं जायते व्यज्यतेऽथवा ॥ १८५९ ॥

dehabuddhīndriyādīnāṃ pratikṣaṇavināśane |
na yuktaṃ paralokitvaṃ nānyaścābhyupagamyate || 1858 ||
tasmādbhūtaviśeṣebhyo yathā śuktasurādikam |
tebhya eva tathā jñānaṃ jāyate vyajyate'thavā || 1859 ||

“The body, the cognition, the sense-organs and the rest being destroyed every moment,—they could not pertain to the other world; and there is nothing else that is admitted (by you, Buddhists). hence consciousness must be regarded as produced from, or manifested by, certain material substances,—just like fermented acids, liquors and such things.”—(1858-1859)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The term ‘and the rest’ includes Feeling (Vedanā) Name-conception (Saṃjñā) and Mental Faculties (Saṃskāra).

‘There is nothing else that is admitted’—in the shape of the ‘Soul’.

Thus this turns out to be the assertion of the view of the Lokāyata (Materialist). His aphorisms read as follows:—“There being nothing that could belong to the other world, there can be no other world;—there are four material substances, Earth, Water, Fire and Air; and from these proceeds Consciousness

Some commentators upon these aphorisms offer the explanation that Consciousness is produced out of the material substances; others explain that it becomes manifested by them, Hence the author has mentioned both these views—‘produced or manifested’.

‘Śukta’—is fermented acid.

‘Surā’—is intoxicating liquor.

‘And such things’—is meant to include things having the effect of making people unconscious and so forth.—(1858-1859)