Verse 3162-3163

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

श्रोत्रगम्येषु शब्देषु दूरसूक्ष्मोपलब्धिभिः ।
पुरुषातिशयो दृष्टो न रूपाद्युपलम्भनात् ॥ ३१६२ ॥
चक्षुषाऽपि च दूरस्थसूक्ष्मरूपप्रकाशनम् ।
क्रियतेऽतिशयप्राप्त्या नतु शब्दादिदर्शनम् ॥ ३१६३ ॥

śrotragamyeṣu śabdeṣu dūrasūkṣmopalabdhibhiḥ |
puruṣātiśayo dṛṣṭo na rūpādyupalambhanāt || 3162 ||
cakṣuṣā'pi ca dūrasthasūkṣmarūpaprakāśanam |
kriyate'tiśayaprāptyā natu śabdādidarśanam || 3163 ||

“As a matter of fact, in the matter of the auditory perception of sounds, superiority among men is found in the apprehending of distant and subtle sounds,—not in the apprehending of colour and other things. Similarly in the matter of visual perception, what is brought about by the attainment of superiority is the perception of remote and subtle colour,—not the perception of sound and other things.”—(3162-3163)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Granting that all Intelligences become superior by practice and exercise—even so, they become superior without transcending their inherent limitations.—This is what is pointed out in the following:—[see verse 3162-3163 above]

‘The apprehensions’—Cognitions—‘of distant and subtle sounds’ the Instrumental ending connotes ‘Indication In some places, the reading is ‘upalabdhitaḥ’, in the Ablative; connoting ‘reason’; the ‘tasi’ at the end coming under the rule ‘Vidhāyādi, etc.’

‘The apprehension of sound, etc.’—is not brought about by the Eyes.—(3162-3163)