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“THE REVEALED WORD.”
993
the speaker-is the substratum of Defects; and any such author is not there in the case of the Veda ; whence then could there be any suspicion of there being Defects ?
This same argument has set aside also the charge of the Reason being doubtful-hence inadmissible':-(2087)
The following might be urged against the Mimāmsaka-How is it known that there is no 'doer',' author' (in the case of the Veda), who would be the substratum of Defects ?
In view of this, the Mimämsaka proceeds to establish the fact of there being no Author of the Veda, by showing that no such Author can be cognised by any of the five Means of Cognition :
TEXTS (2088–2095).
"(a) AN AUTHOR OF THE VEDA IS NOT perceived ;-IT COULD ONLY BE
ASSUMED THAT SUCH A ONE EXISTED IN THE PAST (BUT SUCH AN ASSUMPTION CAN HAVE NO BASIS).-(6) WHEN ANY RELATIONSHIP (OF CONCOMITANCE) OF SUCH AN AUTHOR HAS NEVER BEEN PERCEIVED BEFORE, ANY INFERENCE THAT COULD BE MADE REGARDING HIM MUST BE BASED ONLY UPON PRESENT IGNORANCE ; HENCE IF SUCH AUTHOR IS ASSUMED (BY THE OTHER PARTY) IT CANNOT BE THROUGH INFERENCE.-(c) AS REGARDS VERBAL AUTHORITY (SCRIPTURE), THAT ALSO CANNOT POINT TO AN AUTHOR OF THE VEDA; BECAUSE NO OTHER SCRIPTURE IS WITHOUT AN AUTHOR ; AND HENCE ANY OTHER SCRIPTURE WHICH IS THE WORK OF AN AUTHOR, BEING ITSELF UNRELIABLE, COULD NOT PROVIDE A RELIABLE NOTION OF THE AUTHOR OF THE VEDA. AS REGARDS THE WORDS OF MANU AND OTHERS, THEIR RELIABILITY RESTS UPON THE VEDA ITSELF. AS FOR ANY OTHER WRITER WHO HAS NO CONNECTION WITH THE VEDA AND IS HOSTILE TOWARDS IT,-HOW CAN SUCH A ONE BE TRUTHFUL ON THIS POINT? HENCE FOR US, THERE IS NO SCRIPTURE COMPILED EVEN BY OTHERS WHICH CAN DECLARE AN AUTHOR OF THE Veda.-(d) IN CASE SOMEONE WERE VISIBLE NOW WHO IS SIMILAR TO THE AUTHOR OF THE Veda, THEN ALONE, ON THE BASIS OF THAT ANALOGY, THERE MIGHT BE AN ANALOGICAL COGNITION OF SUCH AN AUTHOR.-(e) IF THERE WERE SOMETHING VOUCHED FOR BY THE MEANS OF RIGHT COGNITION WHICH WOULD BE INEXPLICABLE IF THERE WERE NO AUTHOR OF THE Veda,-THEN ALONE, SUCH AN AUTHOR OF THE VEDA MIGHT BE ACCEPTED ON THE BASIS OF PRESUMPTION; AS A MATTER OF FACT HOWEVER, THERE IS NOTHING IN THE VEDA WHICH COULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT SUCH AN AUTHOR; ON THE CONTRARY, IF THERE were AN AUTHOR, THERE IS MUCH, IN THE SHAPE OF ITS RELIABILITY AND