Verse 3344

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

तापाच्छेदान्निकषाद्वा कलधौतमिवामलम् ।
परीक्ष्यमाणं यन्नैव विक्रियां प्रतिपद्यते ॥ ३३४४ ॥

tāpācchedānnikaṣādvā kaladhautamivāmalam |
parīkṣyamāṇaṃ yannaiva vikriyāṃ pratipadyate || 3344 ||

[The words of Buddha] are free from impurities, like gold tested by ‘heating’, ‘cutting’ and ‘touching’; and, like the gold, they do not undergo any change in the process of testing and investigation.—(3344)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following Text points out that it was for this reason that the Blessed Lord declared that—‘This is to be accepted by the wise, after proper testing, as in the case of gold—[see verse 3344 above]

Just as gold, which is free from all impurities, pure, when tested by ‘Heating’, etc., does not undergo any change,—so also the jewel-like words of the Blessed Lord,—when tested—(a) by ‘Perception’, which is like ‘Heating’—(b) by ‘Inference’ based on the capacity of things, which is like ‘Touching—and (c) by Inference based on the Reliable Word, which is like ‘cutting’,—do not undergo any change. It is thus only right that the activity of intelligent men should proceed on the basis of such Reliable Word only,—not of any other. This is the purport of the Test.—(3344)