Gandharavada

SR No.: 006739
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Esther A Solomon
Publisher: Gujarat Vidyasabha
Publication Year: 1966
Total Pages: 400
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

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for it is said : "Owing to attachment, dream, fear, intoxication, illusion caused by Avidyā, people see things even though they are really non-existent, e. g. woolly substance when the eyes are pressed with the finger". (Kámasvapnabhayon madair avidyopaplavāt tathā; paśyanty asantam apy artham keśondukādivat). But can the Nihilist explain why all things being equally 'non-existent, we do not perceive the causal complement of the hair of the tortoise, but we do perceive that of speech ? If the doctrive of the void is true and if everything is equally nonexistent and unreal, there is no reason why the causal complement of all should not be perceived, or that of the hair of the tortoise should not be perceived while that of speech is perceived (1732).
Moreover do the speaker equipped with the causal complement (chest, head, throat, lips, palate, etc.) and his utterance exist or not? If they do Nihilism is out of the question. If they do not and if everything is non-existent, there would be no one to make the statement, 'The world is void' and no one to hear it (1733).
If the Nihilist says that this is exactly the position, there is no speaker, no statement, nothing about which a statement can be made, that everything is void, - he may be asked if this statement of his is true or false; if it is true, Nihilism stands disproved; and if it is false, it will have no validity and will not be able to establish Nihilism. If in spite of this Nihilism is somehow accepted, even then is this acceptance true or false ? In either case there will be the same difficulty; even otherwise acceptance would presuppose the existence of the one who accepts, the acceptance and the thing to be accepted, which again would go against the doctrine of Nihilism (1734-1735).
If non-existence of all is accepted, all our empirical dealings and behaviour will be upset, will crumble down. Everything being equally non-existent, we should be in a position to obtain oil from grains of sand also and not necessarily from sesamum seeds. And the entire assemblage of effects