Tattva Sangraha Vol 2

Author(s): Kamlashila, Ganganatha Jha
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 24

OTHER FORMS AND MEANS OF KNOWLEDGE.
749
Stated in the form of a Reductio ad Absurdum, both the arguments are flawless. For instance, if the Veda is held to be without a Personal Author', then it must be meaningless (and useless); as the basis of expressiveness, in the shape of the Reason, is not there ; and yet, it is not meaningless ; -hence it must have a Personal Author ;-this is the contingency that is shown by the Reductio ad Absurdum.'-(1502-1503)
In order to further support this Reductio ad Absurdum, and to refute the charge of being contrary to a perceived fact,--the author anticipates and answers an objection:
TEXTS (1504-1507).
IF IT BE URGED THAT" A CERTAIN MEANING IS ACTUALLY COMPREHENDED
FROM WORDS, HENCE THEY CANNOT BE INEXPRESSIVE OR USELESS”, -THEN (THE ANSWER IS THAT) SUCH COMPREHENSION CAN ONLY BE DERIVED FROM EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED ; AND IN THE MATTER OF EXPLANATIONS, IT IS FOUND THAT THE EXPOUNDER IS FREE TO EXPLAIN THINGS AS HE LIKES. IT MIGHT BE ARGUED THAT-"THE WORD, BY ITS VERY NATURE, HAS THE POTENCY TO DENOTE WELLESTABLISHED THINGS ".-IN THAT CASE, ITS MEANING WOULD BE COMPREHENDED ALSO BY ONE WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE CONVENTION (BEARING UPON THE WORD AND ITS DENOTATION). FURTHER, THE LAMP, WHICH IS ILLUMINATIVE BY ITS VERY NATURE, DOES NOT NEED A CONVENTION (IN ILLUMINING THINGS). LASTLY, AS THERE IS ANOTHER CONVENTION ALSO (BEARING UPON THE SAME WORD), THERE COULD BE NO COMPREHENSION OF THAT OTHER THING FROM THAT SAME WORD. EVEN THOUGH THERE BE A CONVENTION, THE LAMP CANNOT MANIFEST ODOUR, TASTE, ETC.-NOR CAN ANY SUCH POTENCY (OF WORDS) BE RECOGNISED.-(1504-1507)
COMMENTARY.
No chęt'-i.e. If it be urged that—" words cannot be inexpressive ; and hence the conclusion of the Buddhist is contrary to a perceived fact".
The answer to this is that our conclusion would really be contrary to perceived facts if things were comprehended from the Veda itself, without the help of any instructions; as a matter of fact however, the comprehension of the meaning comes only through the help of the expounder relying upon Conventions (the conventional denotation of words); and it never comes from the Veda itself independently of Convention. For instance, the Mimämsaka and others have been found to expound the meaning of the Veda in accordance with their own whim; and it cannot be right for the natural denotation of words to be dependent upon the whim of man.