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A collection of fallacies is a poison to the wise, a destroyer of faith;
It fills the mind with doubt, manifesting in many ways. 87. Meaning - It is a disease to the intellect, a hindrance to calmness, a destroyer of faith, and a source of pride for those who indulge in it. This fallacy is a foe to the mind in many ways.
Commentary: This harmful fallacy, which is called a "graha" (a grasping, clinging), is evil and destructive. Its specific nature is described here. This fallacy (1) is a disease to the intellect, (2) a hindrance to calmness, (3) a destroyer of faith, and (4) a source of pride. Thus, it is a foe to the mind in many ways, an enemy of the ultimate goal.
The fallacy that is a foe to the mind: 1. A disease to the intellect - This fallacy is a poison to the intellect, to right knowledge, because it obstructs true understanding. Just as a disease harms the body, weakens it, so too does this fallacy harm and weaken true understanding. Just as a disease weakens the body, makes its limbs weak, and makes the body thin, so too does this fallacy weaken the mind's ability to think, making the intellect weak, sluggish, and thin. Thus, the intellect becomes bound by this fallacy.
Therefore, just as a sick person cannot digest heavy food, so too a person afflicted with this fallacy, this disease, cannot digest the supreme food of right knowledge. Instead, it causes indigestion! That is why wise people say that it is not praiseworthy to give scriptural knowledge to someone who is not worthy of it, who has not been freed from this harmful grasping. Just as it is not appropriate to give a kingdom to a person who is a thief, so too it is not appropriate to give scriptural knowledge to someone who is not free from this harmful grasping. Just as water kept in a cracked pot destroys both the water and the pot, so too does scriptural knowledge given to someone who is not free from this harmful grasping destroy both the knowledge and the person. To give advice to someone who is overwhelmed by this harmful grasping is like applying musk to the body of a dog! The meaning of the scriptures, which is hard to obtain, is corrupted by this harmful grasping.
Therefore, this fallacy is a destroyer of the mind, the inner being, in many ways, due to reasons such as the rejection of the teachings of the wise.