Verse 2154-2155

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

स्वतो ह्रस्वादिभेदस्तु नित्यत्वादेर्विरुध्यते ।
सर्वदा यस्य सद्भावः स कथं मात्रिकः स्वयम् ॥ २१५४ ॥
तस्मादुच्चारणं तस्य मात्राकालं प्रतीयताम् ।
द्विमात्रं वा त्रिमात्रं वा न वर्णो मात्रिकः स्वयम् ॥ २१५५ ॥

svato hrasvādibhedastu nityatvādervirudhyate |
sarvadā yasya sadbhāvaḥ sa kathaṃ mātrikaḥ svayam || 2154 ||
tasmāduccāraṇaṃ tasya mātrākālaṃ pratīyatām |
dvimātraṃ vā trimātraṃ vā na varṇo mātrikaḥ svayam || 2155 ||

“The distinction in the letter itself into short, etc. would be contrary to the doctrine of eternality (of words); for, how can the letter, which is ever present, be said to be measured by duration? Consequently, it is the articulation of the letter that should be regarded as measured by duration, for one or two moments; the letter itself cannot be measured by duration.”—[Ślokavārtika-sphoṭa, 50-51 ].—(2154-2155)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Question:—How do you know that the idea of Larger and Smaller intensity that appears in connection with Sound is due to extraneous circumstances, and the Sound itself has no such diversity?

Answer (from the Mīmāṃsaka):—[see verses 2154-2155 above]

‘Short, long, etc.’, The ‘etcetera’ includes the Long, the ultra-long, the High Pitch, the Low Pitch, the Middling Pitch, and the ‘Ṣaḍja’ and other musical notes.

‘Would be contrary, etc. etc.’—That is, because the Eternality of the Letter has been established by Recognition.—(2154-2155)

In the following text, the Opposite view is put forward—that the said ‘manifestation’ cannot be admitted—[see verses 2156-2157 next]