Verse 2848-2849

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

आत्मलाभे हि भावानां कारणापेक्षितेष्यते ।
लब्धात्मानः स्वकार्येषु वर्त्तन्ते स्वयमेव तु ॥ २८४८ ॥
उत्पादमात्र एवातो व्यपेक्षास्ति स्वहेतुषु ।
ज्ञानानां स्वगुणेष्वेषा नतु निश्चयजन्मनि ॥ २८४९ ॥

ātmalābhe hi bhāvānāṃ kāraṇāpekṣiteṣyate |
labdhātmānaḥ svakāryeṣu varttante svayameva tu || 2848 ||
utpādamātra evāto vyapekṣāsti svahetuṣu |
jñānānāṃ svaguṇeṣveṣā natu niścayajanmani || 2849 ||

“It is for the securing of their own existence that things stand in need of a cause; when once they have secured their existence, they become operative by themselves towards their own effects.”—(2848)

“Thus cognitions have need of their causes only in regard to the bringing about of their own birth,—and not in regard to the bringing about of the certainty regarding their own qualities”.—(2849)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

[verse 2848]:

Having pointed out that things in general need a cause for securing their own existence,—the same principle is applied to the case in question, of the Pramāṇas or Cognitions:—[see verse 2849 above]

[verse 2849]:

‘Regarding their own qualities’,—the Locative Ending is in reference to the substratum of the ‘certainty’.

What is meant is as follows:—There are certain qualities belonging to the Cognitions themselves,—such qualities, for instance, as being of the nature of right apprehension, being produced by perfect causes, and so forth; in the bringing about of certainty regarding these qualities, they do not need any other causes.—(2849)

Question:—If that is so, then what sort of cause are the Cognitions in regard to the bringing about of the said qualities?

Answer:—[see verse 2850 next]