Verse 2403

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

न नराकृतमित्येव यथार्थज्ञानकारि तु ।
दृष्टा हि दाववह्न्यादेर्मिथ्याज्ञानेऽपि हेतुता ॥ २४०३ ॥

na narākṛtamityeva yathārthajñānakāri tu |
dṛṣṭā hi dāvavahnyādermithyājñāne'pi hetutā || 2403 ||

As a matter of fact, the Veda cannot be regarded as a source of right cognition, simply because it is not the work of man. because it has been found that such things as forest-fire and the like (which are not the work of man) are the source of false cognitions.—(2403)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following Text again shows the ‘inconclusiveness’ of not being the work of a Person as a Reason for reliability.—[see verse 2403 above]

Mistaken cognitions do not always arise from the presence of defects in men; even in cases where no such defects are possible,—e.g. in the case of such things as forest-fire,—there are wrong cognitions in regard to the Blue Lotus and such things [the Blue Lotus appearing Red under the glare of the extensive fire].

‘Dāva-vahni”—is the wild fire burning in the woods. What is meant to be cited as the source of wrong cognition is that Fire which starts by itself through the friction of dried bamboos, etc. in the forest. That fire on the other hand which is produced by men by rubbing together of two sticks,—this cannot be regarded as ‘not the work of man’; and hence this could not invalidate the Mīmāṃsaka’s Reason.

‘Forest-fire and the like’—‘and the like’ is meant to include the Mirage and such phenomena.—(2403)

How these are the source of wrong cognitions is shown in the following:—[see verse 2404 next]