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SAHṚDAYALOKA
Over and above this, there are many different means by which the gaunártha can be conveyed, and if mantra is invariably accepted as one of these, it naturally means that the other ways of conveying the same have to be overlooked. But where shall we find a pramāņa for doing so? Mantrámnāna could not have the power to exclude the other means of arriving at the gaunártha, for fear of parisamkhyā, which has no motive. Of course, it can be asked as to on what ground or pramāṇa do you take the mantra to be the means of conveying the mukhyártha? The reply to this is that we do so to save the mantras from being meaningless i.e. anarthaka. For, if the mantra is not used even in its mukhyártha, then it will not be able to be of any help in the main sacrificial ritual and therefore will consequently be rendered totally useless. Thus the conclusion forces upon us that the mantras are to be employed in their primary signification only. - SB. pp. 750, "api ca. gauņasya pratyāyane samarthyād bahavo'bhyupāyāḥ präpnuvanti. samarthyam ca sabdaikadese ityuktam. arthād vā kalpanaikadeśatvād iti. tatra mantre niyogato gaunam prati viniyujyamāna upayántaram vinā pramāṇena badhyeta. mantra"mnānam pramāṇam iti ced, na tasya upayántara-nivṛttau samarthyam asti. nanu mukhyépi viniyujyamānasya eşa eva doṣaḥ. na iti ucyate. yadi mukhyépi na viniyujyeta naiva pradhanasya upakuryāt. tatra tasya utpattir anarthikā eva syāt. tasmad asti gaune mukhye ca viseṣaḥ."
466
It can be further asked, why does the mantra convey its mukhyártha at all, if its gaunártha alone is to be ultimately employed? If it is argued that the mukhyártha has to be conveyed since the gaunártha can not otherwise be understood, then the reply is that, there do exist other means of getting at the gaunártha such as arthāpatti etc. and mukhyártha of a given mantra is not the only means to it. Again, if it be argued that mukhyártha is to be accepted as one of the several alternative remedies for arriving at the gaunártha, the reply is that in this case, mantrámnāna does not become compulsory for our object is to convey the gauṇártha and it necessarily may not be through the mantra, so the mantra may easily be neglected. But this goes against practice. On the other hand, if once the mantra is admitted as necessary for conveying the gaunártha by accepting a 'niyama', then there remains no purpose for the mantra to convey the gaunártha after it has once conveyed the mukhyartha. The purpose, viz. anarthakya parihara is served by the mukhyártha itself, as
noted above. ·
SB. pp. 750 - api ca yo gaune mantram viniyunkte sa vaktavyaḥ - kim artham mukhyam pratyāyasīti. sa ced brūyād -
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