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## Karika 78]
If we consider the "unspeakable" (avachya) as a state of isolation, then it would not be possible to say that "truth is unspeakable" because by saying so, it would become speakable, leading to a contradiction.
**He who is not an authority, the truth is established by reason. He who is an authority, the truth is established by scripture.**
**Explanation:** Here, it is important to understand the nature of an authority (apta) and a non-authority (anapta). The nature of an authority has been explained in detail in the earlier verses of this text. In essence, an authority is one who is free from attachment (vitraga), omniscient (sarvagna), and a proponent of the true nature of reality without contradicting the principles of logic. A non-authority is one who deviates from or contradicts the characteristics of an authority.
The act of revealing the truth is called "non-contradiction" (avisamvad), which arises from right knowledge (samyagjnana). One who reveals the true nature of reality is a "non-contradictor" and therefore possesses right knowledge. Right knowledge is characterized by uninterrupted activity (avabadhit-vyavsayarupa) and has two aspects: direct (sakshya) and indirect (asakshya). Doubt, error, and indecision are the three forms of ignorance that are eliminated by right knowledge.
In such a situation, the words of an authority who possesses the aforementioned characteristics...