Verse 2502-2504

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

तज्ज्ञानज्ञेयरूपो यं ययाऽपि त्वनुवर्त्तते ।
शब्द इत्यनुवृत्तिः स्याद्विज्ञानस्यापि तस्य ते ॥ २५०२ ॥
अन्यथा ह्यनुवृत्तं न ज्ञानं स त्वनुवर्त्तते ।
तज्ज्ञेयः शब्द इत्येवं परा स्याद्व्याहतिस्तव ॥ २५०३ ॥
ज्ञानज्ञेयस्वभावौ तौ बद्धौ शृङखलयेव हि ।
एकभावे द्वितीयस्य प्राप्तिरव्यभिचारतः ॥ २५०४ ॥

tajjñānajñeyarūpo yaṃ yayā'pi tvanuvarttate |
śabda ityanuvṛttiḥ syādvijñānasyāpi tasya te || 2502 ||
anyathā hyanuvṛttaṃ na jñānaṃ sa tvanuvarttate |
tajjñeyaḥ śabda ityevaṃ parā syādvyāhatistava || 2503 ||
jñānajñeyasvabhāvau tau baddhau śṛṅakhalayeva hi |
ekabhāve dvitīyasya prāptiravyabhicārataḥ || 2504 ||

This word-sound being of the nature of what is apprehended by its cognition,—in. Whatsoever form it continues to exist [and it exists for all time, ex-hypothesi] as ‘word-sound’,—the said cognition also will have to continue along with it,—under your theory [by which apprehensibility by that cognition forms the very nature of the word-sound];—otherwise it could not be continuing along with the cognition. And by that same cognition would that word-sound be apprehended;—this would certainly involve the worst incongruity for you. One is of the nature of the cognition, and the other is of the nature of the cognised; and the two are therefore tied up together as by a chain; consequently whenever the one is there the other must be there also, without fail.—(2502-2504)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Even if the Word-Sound is not the cause of the Cognition of it, there are incongruities. For instance, there are two alternatives possible—Is the Word-Sound endowed with the nature of being apprehended by its Cognition or not?—If it is, then there is the following discrepancy:—[see verses 2502-2504 above]

If the Word-Sound is of the nature of being apprehended by its Cognition, then, like the Word, its Cognition also should be eternal, existing at all times; because the nature of apprehensibility by it continues for all time (in the Word). For example, when the character of holding the stick belongs to Devadatta, it is not possible that the stick should not continue as long as Devadatta is there.

‘Tied, up together as by a chain’—‘Hi’ stands for because. The sense thus is as follows:—Because the nature of being cognised and the nature of being Cognition are tied together as by a chain,—therefore it becomes established that whenever the one is present, the other also has to be present,—without fail.—(2502-2504)

Question:—“Let that be so; what is the harm?”

Answer:—[see verse 2505 next]