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EXAMINATION OF THE DOCTRINE OY'SELF-SUFFICIENT VALIDITY'. 1305
TEXT (2898).
"SUCK CORROBORATION (BY OTHER MEANS OF COGNITION) DOES NOT FORM THE BASIS OF THE VALIDITY OF OTHER COGNITIONS ALSO; BECAUSE AMONG COGNITIONS ENVISAGING THE SAME THING, THERE CAN BE ONLY OPTION, WHICH MEANS THAT VALIDITY
CAN BELONG TO ONLY ONE OF THEM."—(2898)
COMMENTARY.
Other Means of Cognitions, i.e. the Means of Cognition other than the Veda, i.e. Sense-perception and the rest.
Tulyarthānām'-bearing upon one and the same thing.
To only one'-the one appearing first of all; the other being only reiterative.
The validity of this first Cognition cannot be due to the other subsequent cognitions ; because these latter are themselves invalid, inasmuch as they npprehend what has been already apprehended.—(2898)
Says the Opponent-In places where there is dense darkness, it is actually seen that a thing that has been apprehended (vaguely) by the first cognition is again apprehended (and defined) by later cognitions appearing after the appearance of light.
The answer to this is as follows:
TEXT (2899).
"EVEN IN A CASE WHERE THE THING IS DEFINITELY APPREHENDED BY THE LATER COGNITIONS, THE THING HAS NOT BEEN CLEARLY AND DEFINITELY APPREHENDED BY THE FIRST COGNITION."
-(2899)
COMMENTARY
What is meant is that the first cognition, being uncertain and vague, cannot be valid.(2899)
Further, if the validity of a Cognition were due to corroboration by other Cognitions,—then no validity could belong to the Cognition of a thing that has been born and immediately destroyed, or to the auditory perception; as no other cognition could operate upon them.-This is pointed out in the following: