Verse 3057-3058

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

तस्माद्गुणेभ्यो दोषाणामभावस्तदभावतः ।
अप्रमाणद्वयासत्त्वं तेनोत्सर्गोऽनपोदितः ॥ ३०५७ ॥
सर्वत्रैवं प्रमाणत्वं निश्चितं चेदिहाप्यसौ ।
पूर्वोदितो दोषगणः प्रसक्ता चानवस्थितिः ॥ ३०५८ ॥

tasmādguṇebhyo doṣāṇāmabhāvastadabhāvataḥ |
apramāṇadvayāsattvaṃ tenotsargo'napoditaḥ || 3057 ||
sarvatraivaṃ pramāṇatvaṃ niścitaṃ cedihāpyasau |
pūrvodito doṣagaṇaḥ prasaktā cānavasthitiḥ || 3058 ||

Thus then,—“from excellences follows the absence of defects; from this absence, there follows the absence of the two forms of invalid cognition; hence the general law remains undenied” if the validity in all cases is determined on this principle, then in the case in question also,—all the aforesaid objections become applicable; and it also involves an infinite regress.—(3057-3058)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Then again, if the Validity in all cases is determined in accordance with the principle propounded in the following assertion—“From Excellences follows the Absence of Defects; from this absence follows the absence of the two forms of Invalid Cognition; consequently the general law remains undenied”—(Ślokavārtika 1. 1. 2; 65),—then it would mean that the very first Cognition is valid, and there would be Infinite Regress also.

This is what is pointed out in the following:—[see verses 3057-3058 above]

‘Aforesaid objections’.—That is, Excellences and the rest lying in the ‘chain’ of other persons, they are beyond the senses of people of limited vision,—Whence there can be no certainty relating to them; this would mean that there is no certainty relating to the absence of defects also;—and uncertain also is the absence of the two kinds of Invalid Cognition; so that Validity could not be established on the basis of Excellence, etc. If these (Excellence, etc.) help in the matter by their mere presence, then there could be no Cognition to the contrary;—all this host of objections would be applicable to all cases.—(3057-3058)