Verse 2219-2220

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

अन्ये तु चोदयन्त्यत्र प्रतिबिम्बोदयैषिणः ।
स एवचेत्प्रतीयेत कस्मान्नोपरि दृश्यते ॥ २२१९ ॥
कूपादिषु कुतोऽधस्तात्प्रतिबिम्बाद्विनेक्षणम् ।
प्राङ्मुखो दर्पणं पश्यन् स्याच्च प्रत्यङ्मुखः कथम् ॥ २२२० ॥

anye tu codayantyatra pratibimbodayaiṣiṇaḥ |
sa evacetpratīyeta kasmānnopari dṛśyate || 2219 ||
kūpādiṣu kuto'dhastātpratibimbādvinekṣaṇam |
prāṅmukho darpaṇaṃ paśyan syācca pratyaṅmukhaḥ katham || 2220 ||

“Other people who hold the view that the reflected image is actually produced (as something different from the reflected object) urge the following objection:—‘If the same sun is seen in the several vessels, why is not the same seen as being overhead (over one’s head, like the real sun)? how too could it be seen below, in wells and such other deep water-reservoirs, if the reflected image were not actually produced there? Further, how is it that when a man facing the east looks at the mirror, he perceives himself as facing the west?’”—[Ślokavārtika—eternality of words—183-185].—(2219-2220)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

It was argued (under Text 2210) that ‘just as in the Water, the single Sun is seen as diverse, etc. etc.’; and as invalidating this reason, some people think that the Reflected Image is something entirely different from the Reflected Object; and they argue as follows:—

If what is seen (in the reflection), is the same Sun, and not the Reflected Image,—then, how is it that it is not perceived as being overhead? It could be so seen if the same Sun had been seen in different places (in the reflecting surfaces)—not otherwise; as otherwise there would be incongruities.

Further, in the ease of the Well, how could there be perception of the Sun lying so far deep inside, if its Reflected Image were not produced there?—Certainly the Sun does not actually exist there inside the Well.

Then again, when a man facing the East looks at the mirror, how does he come to face the West? Certainly a face is not seen to have been produced at his back.—(2219-2220)

The Mīmāṃsaka’s answer to the above is as follows:—[see verses 2221-2223 next]