Verse 2374

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

वेदो नरं निराशंसो ब्रूतेऽर्थं न सदा स्वतः ।
अन्धात्तयष्टितुल्यां तु पुंव्याख्यां समपेक्षते ॥ २३७४ ॥

vedo naraṃ nirāśaṃso brūte'rthaṃ na sadā svataḥ |
andhāttayaṣṭitulyāṃ tu puṃvyākhyāṃ samapekṣate || 2374 ||

The Veda, by itself, without any support, cannot always make known its own meaning; in fact, it stands in need of explanations by persons,—such explanations being like the stick held by the blind man.—(2374)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following might be urged—“The Veda itself would make known to such a person its own meaning, without any action on the part of that Person; so that there is no mutual interdependence”.

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 2374 above]

When the Vedic sentence is heard by a man for the first time, it does not make known its meaning to that man, if he does not know the conventions (regarding the words and their meanings).

Question;—“What then does it do?”

Answer:—‘It needs, etc. etc.’—The compound is to be explained as—‘that which is similar to the stick held by the blind man—(2374)

Question:—“It may be in need of it; where is the harm?”

Ansiver:—[see verse 2375 next]