Verse 2.718

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

स्वसिद्धेः कारणं नान्यज्ज्ञानमज्ञानहानये ।
यस्मादपेक्षते तस्मान्न निदिध्यासनाय तत् ॥ ७१८ ॥

svasiddheḥ kāraṇaṃ nānyajjñānamajñānahānaye |
yasmādapekṣate tasmānna nididhyāsanāya tat || 718 ||

English translation of verse 2.718:

Since knowledge, after its origination, does not seek the help of another cause for the destruction of ignorance, there is no injunction on meditation.

Notes:

This verse rules out the possibility of meditation (nididhyāsana) being the subject of an injunction. The Niyogavādin argues that one must repeatedly contemplate on the knowledge which has arisen from the śruti text, and that only the knowledge which has been repeatedly contemplated upon can remove ignorance. But this argument is wrong as it is based on the wrong assumption that knowledge which has arisen from the śruti text requires to be supplemented by nididhyāsana. Knowledge has to seek the help of nididhyāśana only if it is not able to do its work on its own. But it does. When knowledge arises, igno-rance is removed, and so there is no dependence of knowledge on nididhyāsana. It means that the latter, too, is not the subject of an injunction. The scope and work of injunction so far as the Vedānta is concerned must be. explained stated in verse (714).