Verse 2793-2795

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

सर्वदा चैव पुरुषाः प्रायेणानृतवादिनः ।
यथाऽद्यत्वे न विस्रम्भस्तथाऽतीतार्थकीर्त्तने ॥ २७९३ ॥
इत्येतेन त्वदुक्तेन न्यायेन च न सिद्ध्यति ।
कर्त्ता कश्चित्क्वचिद्ग्रन्थे स्वां कृतिं कथयन्नपि ॥ २७९४ ॥
ततश्चापौरुषेयेषु सत्याशा त्यज्यतामियम् ।
वेदार्थविपरीता हि तेष्वर्थाः प्रतिपादिताः ॥ २७९५ ॥

sarvadā caiva puruṣāḥ prāyeṇānṛtavādinaḥ |
yathā'dyatve na visrambhastathā'tītārthakīrttane || 2793 ||
ityetena tvaduktena nyāyena ca na siddhyati |
karttā kaścitkvacidgranthe svāṃ kṛtiṃ kathayannapi || 2794 ||
tataścāpauruṣeyeṣu satyāśā tyajyatāmiyam |
vedārthaviparītā hi teṣvarthāḥ pratipāditāḥ || 2795 ||

‘At all times, men are mostly prone to telling lies; just as there is no confidence in regard to things present, so also there is none regarding the description of past events’ (Ślokavārtika-sūtra 1. 1. 2; 144).—by this reason of your own, there can be no person recognised as the author of any work at all; even though he may be declaring it to be his own work.—Thus then, please abandon all hope in the truthfulness of the word which does not proceed from a personality; specially as in such words have been mentioned many things contrary to what has been said in the Veda.—(2793-2795)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

‘By this reasoning, etc. etc.’.—i.e. the reasoning just stated.

The following might be urged—“Let all the Scriptures be such as are not the work of Personalities”.

The answer to that is—‘Thus then, etc. etc.’—That is, the mere fact of not being the work of Personality cannot prove the truthful character of the Revelation; as such a Reason would be ‘inconclusive’, in view of the words of Buddha and others. Because these latter speak of many things—such as ‘there is no Soul’ and so forth,—which are contrary to what is said in the Yeda, and which, according to you, are not true. And it is just possible to suspect that the same may be the case with the words of the Veda also.—(2793-2795)