Verse 2418

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

अध्येतारश्च वेदानां कर्त्तारोऽध्यक्षतो मताः ।
नहि ते व्यञ्जका युक्ता नित्यानां व्यक्त्यसम्भवात् ॥ २४१८ ॥

adhyetāraśca vedānāṃ karttāro'dhyakṣato matāḥ |
nahi te vyañjakā yuktā nityānāṃ vyaktyasambhavāt || 2418 ||

It is through perception that the readers of the Veda are recognised as the ‘makers’. It cannot be right to regard them as ‘manifesters’; because the ‘manifestation’ of eternal things is impossible.—(2418)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

It has been argued by the Mīmāṃsaka, under Text 2088, that “the Author of the Veda is not perceived”.

The following Text shows that this Reason is ‘inadmissible’:—[see verse 2418 above]

If the opinion held is that ‘no maker of the Veda is ever perceived’,—then, in as much as readers of the Veda are always seen, what is asserted is clearly ‘inadmissible’.

If the idea held is that the first ‘maker’ of the Veda has not been seen,—even so the fact remains doubtful—hence—inadmissible; it being possible that he might have been seen by some one at some time.

If the idea is that the ‘Readers’ cannot be regarded as ‘Makers’ or ‘Authors’,—they are only the ‘manifesters’ of the Veda,—then the answer to that is that—‘It cannot be right, etc. etc.’—‘Te’ stands for the Readers.

That the ‘Manifestation’ of eternal things is not possible is going to be explained later on.

Question:—“How then can there be a ‘Manifester’ of the non-eternal Jar?”

Answer:—True; there can be no ‘Manifester’ for non-eternal things also.

Question:—“How then are things like the Lamp regarded as ‘Manifesters’?”

Answer:—No; in the cases cited, the Lamp is really the producer of the Jar, inasmuch as it produces the jar capable of bringing about its cognition; and it is spoken of as ‘Manifester’, in order to indicate the exact nature of the ‘producing’ done by it.

Such a ‘Manifester’ is not possible in the case of the Veda; because its nature is such that its successive stages of production are not clearly perceptible.—(2418)

Even granting that there can be a ‘Manifester’ of the eternal thing;—such a ‘Manifester’ does not differ from the ‘maker’,—This is what is shown in the following:—[see verse 2419 next]