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TATTVASANGRAHA: CHAPTER XXV.
TEXTS (2959-2962).
THE ANSWER TO THE ABOVE IS AS FOLLOWS:-IT IS CONFORMITY WITH
THE REAL STATE OF THINGS THAT IS CALLED VALIDITY'; AND THERE IS NO FEATURE OF IT EXCEPT THE REPEATED COGNITION OF EFFECTIVE ACTION.-THE COGNITION ENVISAGING EFFECTIVE ACTION IS CLEARLY APPREHENDED; AND THE APPREHENSION BECOMES CONFIRMED BY THE AFTER-THOUGHT ENVISAGING THE SAME. THUS ITS OWN REAL VALIDITY HAVING BEEN DULY ASCERTAINED, IT DOES NOT STAND IN NEED OF ANY SUBSEQUENT COGNITION OF THE SAME EFFECTIVE ACTION. THUS THE VALIDITY OF THE COGNITION BECOMES MANIFESTED IN THE VERY FIRST COGNITION ENVISAGING THE SAID EFFECTIVE AOTION; AND THEREBY ITS VALIDITY BECOMES CONFIRMED.-(2959-2962)
COMMENTARY.
The purport of the above, in brief, is as follows:- The name ' Pramāna'. valid cognition,' is given to that cognition which is in conformity with the real state of things ;-as has been asserted in the declaration that,
Pramāna is that cognition which is in conformity with things ' ;-this 'conformity' appears in the shape of effective action ;-as it is only for purposes of effective action that there is a desire to investigate the validity' of Cognitions ;-because the sane man investigates the validity or invalidity of cognitions only for the purpose of undertaking activity in accordance with it, and not because he likes to do so ;-this effective action is one that figures in the notion of such acts as burning, cooking and the like ; as it is only when this cognition has appeared that the want of the man seeking to undertake the activity becomes supplied ;-this cognition of effective action, on account of the perceptibility of its own cognition, appears by itself ;-and As this apprehension is quite clear, it is followed by an afterthought, in accordance with the same apprehension,—which serves to confirm the cognition ;-all this is self-evident.-Nor does the man desire any other fruit resulting from the said cognition for the sake of which he would seok for the appearance of another cognition envisaging another effective action ; which would lead to an Infinite Regress. For instance, in ordinary life, the fruits of activity that are desired are in the form of prosperity and adversity (happiness and unhappiness); and this is accomplished by the appearance of joy and sorrow; and men, being satisfied with this result, desist from further activity; and this is what is meant when it is said that the result has been accomplished by itself.
As for the first cognition which has brought about the second cognition, the validity of that is said to consist only in the capacity to bring about the second cognition; and the presence of this capacity cannot be ascertained by people who, on account of the absence of repetition, do not know of the effective action resulting from it; hence it is ascertained only by the appearance of its effect in the shape of the second cognition.
