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94
CRITIQUE OF AN AUTHORITY
by the contrary of this feature), this sentence will not be true. And how can the nature of reality be expounded through sentences that are false ? (110)
Note: Vasunandin reads tadatadvastu vāgesā for tadatadvastuvägesā and tadevetyanusāsati for tadevetyanusāsati, the former alteration is unimportant, the latter a mistake. And the following is how Vasunandin understands the verse : 'An entity as characterized by a feature as also by the contrary of this feature is described by a sentence as precisely thus characterized. If (even) such a sentence be not true, how will it be possible to expound the nature of reality through sentences that are false ?
प्रत्यक्षादिप्रमाणविषयभूतं विरुद्धधर्माध्यासलक्षणम् अविरुद्धंवस्तु। तदेव' इत्यैकान्तेन प्रतिपादयन्ती मिथ्यैव भारती । कथमनया अर्थदेशनम् ? इत्येकान्ते वाक्यार्थानुपपत्तिः आलक्ष्यते ॥११०॥
वाक्स्वभावोऽन्यवागर्थप्रतिषेधनिरङ्कशः ।
आह च स्वार्थसामान्यं तादृग् वाच्यं खपुष्पवत् ॥११॥
It is the nature of a sentence that it is absolutely capable of negating the meaning of another sentence (i.e. of the sentence that is its own opposite). And a sentence allegedly capable of expressing just its own meaning (i.e. not also capable of negating the meaning of its own opposite) denotes something that is fictitious like skyflower. (111)
वाचः स्वभावोऽयं येन स्वार्थसामान्य प्रतिपादयन्ती तदपरं निराकरोति, अन्यतरापाये अनुक्तानतिशायनात्। इदंतया नेदंतयावानप्रतीयेत तदर्थः, कूर्मरोमादिवत्। नखलु सामान्य विशेषपरिहारेण विशेषोवाक्वचिदुपलभामहे। अनुपलभमानाश्च कथंस्वंपरंवातथाभिनिवेशेन विप्रलभामहे ? ॥११॥
सामान्यवाग् विशेषे चेन्न शब्दार्थो मृषा हि सा। अभिप्रेतविशेषाप्तेः स्यात्कारः सत्यलाञ्छनः॥११२॥
It might be said that a word denotes something universal but that it is made to stand for something particular, but in that case the denotation of a word must be a falsity. So it is the word syāt which by enabling one
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