Verse 2209

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

संस्कारद्वयपक्षे तु वृथा दोषद्वयं हि तत् ।
येनान्यतरवैकल्यात्सर्वैः शब्दो न गम्यते ॥ २२०९ ॥

saṃskāradvayapakṣe tu vṛthā doṣadvayaṃ hi tat |
yenānyataravaikalyātsarvaiḥ śabdo na gamyate || 2209 ||

“As regards the view that there is embellishment of both, the assertion that it is open to both sets of objections is futile. Because when sound is not heard by all, it is due to the deficiency in either one of the two.”—[Ślokavārtika—eternality of words—86-87].—(2209) commentary.

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Against the view that ‘there is embellishment of both (Sound and the Auditory Organ)’ [propounded as an alternative in the commentary on Text 2157],—it has been argued (under Text 2168) that ‘the objections urged against each of the two alternative views are all applicable to the view that there is embellishment of both.’

The Mīmāṃsaka’s answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 2209 above]:

The assertion made previously that both sets of objections are applicable is futile,—useless.

Why?

Because, to the deñciency in either one of the two—of the embellishment of the Auditory Organ, or of the embellishment of the object, Sound—is due the fact that Sound is not heard. For instance, even when the embellishment of the Sound is there, the deaf man does not hear the Sound, because his organ is deficient; and even when there is no deafness, if there is no manifestation of the Sound (by articulation), there is no hearing of the Sound.

The reading in some places is ‘mṛṣā doṣadvaye vacaḥ’, the meaning of which is clear.—(2209)