Verse 2495-2499

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

घटादिग्रहणार्थं हि यथा शक्तिंव्यक्तिं नियच्छति ।
नेत्रेन प्रदीपस्तथा श्रोत्रे ध्वनिः शब्दोपलब्धये ॥ २४९५ ॥
श्रोत्रोपलब्धौपलब्धो योग्यश्चेच्छब्दः प्रकृतिसंस्थितः ।
असंस्कृतेऽपि तच्छ्रोत्रे किमर्थं नोपलभ्यते ॥ २४९६ ॥
योग्यकारणसद्भावाद्भवेदेवोपलम्भनम् ।
संस्कृतश्रोत्रसद्भाववेलायामिव तस्य तत् ॥ २४९७ ॥
नोपलब्धौ स योग्यश्चेत्पश्चादपि कथं भवेत् ।
भावे च योग्यतायोगी शब्दो जातोऽपरो भवेत् ॥ २४९८ ॥
अथ पश्चादपि ज्ञानं नैव तद्बलभावि तत् ।
संस्कृतश्रवणादिभ्यस्तस्योत्पादस्तु वर्ण्यते ॥ २४९९ ॥

ghaṭādigrahaṇārthaṃ hi yathā śaktiṃvyaktiṃ niyacchati |
netrena pradīpastathā śrotre dhvaniḥ śabdopalabdhaye || 2495 ||
śrotropalabdhaupalabdho yogyaścecchabdaḥ prakṛtisaṃsthitaḥ |
asaṃskṛte'pi tacchrotre kimarthaṃ nopalabhyate || 2496 ||
yogyakāraṇasadbhāvādbhavedevopalambhanam |
saṃskṛtaśrotrasadbhāvavelāyāmiva tasya tat || 2497 ||
nopalabdhau sa yogyaścetpaścādapi kathaṃ bhavet |
bhāve ca yogyatāyogī śabdo jāto'paro bhavet || 2498 ||
atha paścādapi jñānaṃ naiva tadbalabhāvi tat |
saṃskṛtaśravaṇādibhyastasyotpādastu varṇyate || 2499 ||

“just as the lamp restricts the potency op the eye to the perception of the jar,—so will the articulation restrict the potency of the auditory organ to the apprehension of the sound”.—If, as it stands by itself, the sound is capable of being apprehended by the auditory organ,—then why is it not apprehended, while the auditory organ is not embellished?—When its efficient cause is there, the apprehension must follow; and this condition is present at the time of the embellishment of the auditory organ.—If, on the other hand, the sound is not capable of being apprehended, how could it become apprehended even at a later time? If the apprehension is there, then what is apprehended must be some other sound which has the requisite capacity.—If then, even at a later time, there is no cognition (apprehension) of the word-sound due to its own inherent capacity,—then it is for this reason that it is asserted that it is produced by the embellished auditory organ and other agencies.—(2495-2499)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

It has been argued by the Mīmāṃsaka under Text 2170, that—“Just as the Lamp is regarded as the manifester of the Jar, through the aid that it affords to the Eye, etc. etc.”

In the first of the following texts, the Author explains the opponent’s position, and in the remaining texts, he sets forth the objections to it;—[see verses 2495-2499 above]

It may be that the Auditory Organ is embellished; but what you have to explain is—Whether or not the Word-Sound, by its very nature, is capable of bringing about the cognition of itself.

In the former case (i.e. if it is so capable),—then it should be cognised even before the Auditory Organ has been embellished.

This is what is said in the words—‘why is it not apprehended, etc. etc.’

‘Tasya’—of the Word-Sound.—‘Tat’—therefore.

The argument may be formulated, as before, thus—‘If its cause is deficient etc.’; and it may be added that in this case the embellishment of the Auditory Organ would be useless.

Under the latter view (that the Word-Sound by itself is not capable of bringing about its own cognition),—the Cognition of the Sound should not come about even when the embellishment of the Auditory Organ is there; because the Sound must, for ever, remain incapable (of being cognised). So that under this view also, the embellishment of the Auditory Organ would be useless.

This argument may be formulated as follows:—When one thing does not deviate from the condition in which it was not able to produce a particular effect, it cannot produce that effect;—as, for instance, the Kodrava -seed cannot produce the Pac£%-sprout;—and even on the embellishment of the Auditory Organ, the Word-sound does not deviate from the incapacity to produce Cognition;—hence there is non-apprehension of the wider condition.

That the Reason here adduced is not ‘inadmissible’ is shown in the words—‘If the apprehension is there, etc. etc.’

‘Yogyatāyogī’—that which has connection with the capacity.—(2495-2499)