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XLX. The Buddhist doctrine of Sulusion
125 though admitting it (suffusion), has elaborated the discussion of its) difference and nondifference with a view to demonstrating a continuant substance.
Now the exposition of the second half: Therefore, because of the existence of faults in all three alternatives; Thy pronouncements, Your Worship's statements, purified by agreement with the Quodammodo doctrine of difference and non-difference; the opponents, those who belong to bad sects; from the context those who follow the son of Māyā); let them take refuge, etc., let them regard. Here he gives an analogy, not seeing the shore, etc.), does not behold the shore; so 'shore-not-seeing'; the birdling, bird-chick, regarding it, on the principle, - example; 'therefrom'. As, at times, somehow fallen into the boundless ocean, a young bird, crow or the like, innocently through desire to get out, flies up from the mast of a ship, in order to reach the shore, and, beholding all round only the single ocean of waters, and not even seeing the shore, from despair turns back, and takes refuge in the same position on the mast of the ship, because of having no other resource; so may those followers of bad sects also, failing on all the three previously mentioned alternatives to reach establishment of reality (vastu), and embracing even involuntarily the fourth alternative stated by you of difference and non-difference, adopt your teaching. For, after considering one's own lack of strength, to take refuge with a more powerful lord is in the eyes of people expert in policy not faulty. The plural 'Thy pronouncements' is to signify that to all adherents of other systems only the aceptance, step by step, of the non-unequivocal doctrine and not anything else, is serviceable for the demonstration of things as they are. For all entities, composed of endless attributes cannot without the Quodammodo doctrine, composed of all the Methods 10), be apprehended. (162) Otherwise, on the maxim of the blind men and the elephant"), there is the consequence of grabbing at superficialities ). Some read 'take refuge in the Present Tense. In that also there is no fault.
And here instead of the ocean is mundane existence; equivalent to a boat is Thy doctrine; and like the mast of the ship is the Quodammodo doctrine. And comparable to the young bird are the disputants: and these, although by the flight of describing the alternatives of which they approve they make an effort to reach the shore called liberation, if from that turning back when they do not see the accomplishment of their desired purpose, they find refuge simply in approaching the ship of Thy teaching, adorned with a mast in the form of the Quodammodo doctrine, fructify then, not otherwise, their desire to escape outside the ocean of becoming. This is the meaning of the verse.
8) Buddha.
9) Like the dove in Noah's ark, a story based on the ancient practice of mariners, exemplified in India by tales and by the term disă-käka (direction-[showing-Jcrow), which evidently was in Mallisena's mind when he wrote a young bird, crow or the like'.
10) On these see infra, vv. XXIV, pp. 142 sqq., and XXVIII, pp. 152 sqq. 11) See note XIV 13).
18) The expression pallava-grähin, 'twig-grabbing', has not the same implication as English 'grasping at straws'.
