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## Karika 111: Devagam
**103. The nature of speech is to negate the meaning of other sentences while establishing its own general meaning. Such a sentence is like a flower in the sky.**
(If, as the Buddhists believe, sentences only function through negation, this is not correct. For) the nature of a sentence is to establish its own general meaning while negating the meaning of other sentences without restriction. For example, the sentence "Bring a pot" inherently negates the meaning of other sentences like "Bring a cloth," "Bring a pitcher," "Bring a watch," "Bring a table (chair)," etc.
The kind of sentence that the Buddhists propose, which is based on negation alone, is like a flower in the sky, a non-existent thing, or equivalent to an unsaid statement. This is because a general without a particular, or a particular without a general, is never found anywhere (inside or outside). When such a thing is not found, how can it be claimed that a general without a particular, or a particular without a general, is the nature of reality? How can one deceive oneself and others with such an argument? One should not be deceived.
**Explanation:** The Buddhists believe that all sentences are based on negation, not affirmation. The Acharya says: The nature of speech (words) is to negate the meaning of other sentences without restriction and to affirm its own general meaning. If only negation were possible, then such a sentence would be like a flower in the sky, a non-existent thing. We never find a general without a particular, or a particular without a general. When such a sentence is not found, how can it be claimed that a general without a particular, or a particular without a general, is the nature of reality?