________________
" THE REVEALED WORD."
1067
TEXT (2270).
« THE WHITE OBJECT STANDING BEFORE PERSONS SOME OF WHOM ARE BLIND AND THE OTHERS ARE NOT THE OBJECT IS NOT SEEN BY THOSE WHO ARE BLIND, WHILE IT IS SEEN BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT; BUT THIS DOES NOT MAKE THE OBJECT existent AND nonexistent.” [Shlokavārtika-Sambandhäksepa parihara,
37].-(2270)
COMMENTARY.
The Colour present before two persons-of whom one is blind and the other not so, is actually seen only by one whose vision is perfect, and not by the other; and even for these men, this fact does not make the Colour existent (for the one) and non-existent (for the other).-The same would be the case with the Connection also.-(2270)
In order to meet the question as to what is the cause of this,-the Mimūmsaka offers the following explanation:
TEXT (2271).
“THERE IS NO INCOMPATIBILITY IN THIS CASE, BECAUSE THERE IS DIVERSITY IN THE CAPACITY AND INCAPACITY OF MEN, IN THE CASE IN QUESTION (OF WORDS) ALSO, THERE IS NO CAUSE OF THE PERCEPTION (OF THE MEANINO), OTHER THAN THE Connection.” [Shlokavartika Sambandha.
kpepaparihāra, 38).-(2271)
COMMENTARY. What is meant is as follows :-Mere existence is not the cause of a thing being perceived; the cause of it lies in the capacity of the perceiving man; it is for this reason that even when the thing is existent, its non-perception by some one who is devoid of the capacity to perceive it, does not involve any incongruity; hence non-cognition cannot be said to be invariably concomitant with non-existence.
Says the Opponent-If that is so, then, even when the Connection (of the Word and its meaning) is not there, the cognition or non-cognition of the meaning by men would be determined by the presence and absence of the capacity in the men ; so that it all stands on the same footing.
The answer to this is- There is no cause, etc. etc.'.-That is, the cogni. tion of the meaning always follows from the cognition of the Connection.• Other goes with cause '.
of the perception '-.e, of the apprehension of the meaning of the Word.
Darshanasya '--the Genitive is to be construed with hătuh'.
