Verse 2288

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

तेनेयं व्यवहारात्स्यादकौटस्थ्येपि नित्यता ।
यत्नतः (यत्क्रमे ?) प्रतिषेध्या नः पुरुषाणां स्वतन्त्रता २२८८ ॥

teneyaṃ vyavahārātsyādakauṭasthyepi nityatā |
yatnataḥ (yatkrame ?) pratiṣedhyā naḥ puruṣāṇāṃ svatantratā 2288 | |

“Thus then, even though the order is not something unchangeable (and eternal in that sense), yet it is eternal, in usage. and we have to make an effort to refute the idea of men being independent (in their choice of the order of letters used).”—[Ślokavārtika—eternality of words, 289-290].—(2288)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The argument is summed up by the Mīmāṃsaka in the following:—[see verse 2288 above]

‘Naḥ’—the Genitive ending is due to the verbal affix found in ‘pratiṣedhyā’,

The objection that has been urged is therefore not applicable.

Thus though the Order is not eternal in the sense of being unchangeable, like the Hill,—yet its eternality has to be accepted on the basis of the usage of experienced persons.

What this means is that the Order is eternal for all practical purposes,—and not unchangeably eternal, like the Hills.—(2288)

Question:—If that is so in the case of the Order, why is not the ‘eternality’ of the Letters also regarded as being for practical purposes only?

Answer:—[see verses 2289-2290 next]