Verse 2370-2373

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

स्वतन्त्राः पुरुषाश्चेह वेदे व्याख्यां यथारुचि ।
कुर्वाणाः प्रतिबद्धुं ते शक्यन्ते नैव केनचित् ॥ २३७० ॥
मोहमानादिभिर्दोषैरतोऽमी विप्लुताः श्रुतेः ।
विपरीतामपि व्याख्यां कुर्युरित्यभिशङ्क्यते ॥ २३७१ ॥
नचान्तीन्द्रियदृक्तेषामिष्ट एकोऽपि मानवः ।
स्वर्गयागादिसम्बन्धज्ञानं नैव ह्यचोदनम् ॥ २३७२ ॥
यस्मादतीन्द्रियार्थानां द्रष्टा साक्षान्न चास्ति वः ।
वचनेन हि नित्येन यः पश्यति स पश्यति ॥ २३७३ ॥

svatantrāḥ puruṣāśceha vede vyākhyāṃ yathāruci |
kurvāṇāḥ pratibaddhuṃ te śakyante naiva kenacit || 2370 ||
mohamānādibhirdoṣairato'mī viplutāḥ śruteḥ |
viparītāmapi vyākhyāṃ kuryurityabhiśaṅkyate || 2371 ||
nacāntīndriyadṛkteṣāmiṣṭa eko'pi mānavaḥ |
svargayāgādisambandhajñānaṃ naiva hyacodanam || 2372 ||
yasmādatīndriyārthānāṃ draṣṭā sākṣānna cāsti vaḥ |
vacanena hi nityena yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati || 2373 ||

Persons, being free agents, proceeding to explain the Veda, according to their whims, could never be checked by any one. consequently, being beset with such defects as delusion, vanity, etc., they might provide wrong explanations of the Veda.—there is room for such a suspicion.—(2370-2371)

The other party do not admit any person capable of perceiving supersensuous things;—and the knowledge of the connection between heaven and sacrificial performance can not be obtained except from the (Vedic) injunction; because for you, there is no person who is capable of directly perceiving supersensuous things; as whoever has any knowledge of these has it only through the eternal words.—(2372-2373)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

[verses 2370-2371]:

Then again, no such Person has been postulated as is independently cognisant of the meaning of the Veda, which is beyond the reach of the senses, who would expound this meaning. Because the power of such a Person to perceive supersensuous things through his knowiedge of the Veda, cannot belong to him independently by himself;—and the knowledge of the meaning of the Veda also is not possible without the power to perceive supersensuous things;—thus there is an unavoidable mutual interdependence. This is what is shown in the following:—[see verses 2372-2373 above]

[verses 2372-2373]:

The compound ‘acodanam’ is to be explained as—‘that for which there is no Injunction’; i.e. that which is independent of the Injunction.

The reason for this is next stated—‘Because, etc. etc.’

Question:—“Why is this also so?”

Answer:—‘As whoever, etc. etc.’—As has been declared in the following words—‘For these reasons there is no Perceiver of supersensuous things; whoever knows anything about these knows it only through the Eternal Word’—(2372-2373)