Tattva Sangraha Vol 2

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

Page 27

752
TATTVASANGRAHA: CHAPTER XIX.
TEXT (1510).
BECAUSE THE TRUSTWORTHY PERSON' IS NOT ADMITTED, THEREFORE THE SECOND DEFINITION ALSO OF Verbal Cognition IS NOT PROPER.--EVEN IF SUCH A PERSON WERE REGARDED AS POSSIBLE, THAT A CERTAIN PERSON IS SUCH A ONE CANNOT BE ASCERTAINED.
-(1510)
COMMENTARY
As a matter of fact, the Mimamsakas do not admit of a Person 'free from defects'; hence no Trustworthy Person can be admitted by them; how then could the word of such a person be valid (Right, Reliable) ?
Na ksamam'is not proper ; i.e. it is 'Impossible'.
Even if the 'Trustworthy Person' be admitted, it could never be exactly pointed out that this person' is trustworthy; hence he would be as good as non-existent. Then again, because there is no valid means of ascertaining whether or not there are certain bad or good qualities in a certain person, because such qualities are beyond the reach of the senses, specially because as for the bodily and verbal behaviour of men, they are sometimes purposely misrepresented, therefore how could any reliance be placed upon the word of such men ? Because people with limited vision cannot properly discriminate among men.
TEXTS (1511-1512).
IF IT BE URGED THAT" THAT PERSON IS REGARDED AS TRUSTWORTHY
IN REGARD TO IMPERCEPTIBLE THINGS, WHOSE ASSERTIONS ARE FOUND TO BE TRUE IN MOST CASES", THEN (THE ANSWER IS THAT) THE MERE FAOT OF ONE'S ASSERTION BEING not true IN SOME INDIVIDUAL CASE, CANNOT PROVE THAT HIS ASSERTIONS ARE NEVER TRUE; NOR CAX THE FACT OF ITS BEING true IN ONE CASE PROVE THAT ALL HIS ASSERTIONS
ARE true.-(1511-1512)
COMMENTARY.
The following might be urged—“Even though a man may not be entirely free from defects, yet if it has been found that in most cases his assertions are true, then such a person is regarded by us as 'trustworthy '; -and not any person 'free from defects';-and it is the assertion of such a 'trustworthy person that is meant in the definition of Verbal Cognition (provi by us). Hence the definition is not open to the charge of being 'Impossible.”
This cannot be right; because one assertion of the man has been found to be not incompatible with the real state of things, it does not necessarily