Verse 2293-2294

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

ताल्वादिजातयस्तावत्सर्वपुंसु व्यवस्थिताः ।
वक्ता तांश्च ध्वनींस्ताभिरुपलक्ष्य निरस्यति ॥ २२९३ ॥
तेषां च जातयो भिन्नाः शब्दाभिव्यक्तिहेतवः ।
यावद्वर्णं प्रवर्तन्ते व्यक्तयो वा तदन्विताः ॥ २२९४ ॥

tālvādijātayastāvatsarvapuṃsu vyavasthitāḥ |
vaktā tāṃśca dhvanīṃstābhirupalakṣya nirasyati || 2293 ||
teṣāṃ ca jātayo bhinnāḥ śabdābhivyaktihetavaḥ |
yāvadvarṇaṃ pravartante vyaktayo vā tadanvitāḥ || 2294 ||

“Such universals as the ‘palate’, etc. are always present (in their universal or common form) in all men; and it is through these that the speaker emits the articulations;—and there are distinct universals of these (articulations) also, which serve to bring about the manifestation of the sounds, and there are as many of these as there are letters’—or it is the particular individuals (articulations) themselves as associated with the said universals that bring about the manifestation of the particular letter-sounds.”—[Ślokavārtika—eternality of words, 296-297].—(2293-2294) commentary,

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Such Universals as ‘the Palate’ and other speech-centres subsist in the individual Palates of all men; and as such are present in all men;—it is through these Universals that the Speaker determines these speech-centres, and then emits—exhales—through them the Articulations in the shape of the manifestive air-currents; this is in accordance with the maxim that ‘there can be no idea of the Qualified until there is cognition of the Qualification’.

Though these Articulations are evanescent,—yet like the Universal ‘Cow’ and the like, there are as many ‘Universals’ as there are Letters; and these same Universals, associated with the Individuals, become manifestaters of the Letter-Sounds.

Or, the individual Articulations themselves, associated with the Universals, proceed to manifest the Sounds in consonance with the Letters. This is an alternative view.—(2293-2294)