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EXAMINATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF 'SELF-SUFFICIENT VALIDITY'. 1353
TEXTS (3030-3031). THE ETERNAL WORD HAS BEEN DISCARDED BY US PREVIOUSLY IN DETAIL. UNDER YOUR VIEW, THERE IS NO TRUSTWORTHY PERSON ENTIRELY FREE FROM ALL DEFECTS ; AND HOW CAN A PERSON BE TRUSTWORTHY, WHEN THE MASS OF HIS IGNORANCE HAS NOT BEEN DISPELLED? BECAUSE ON THE PRESENCE OF THE DEFECTS, IT IS ALWAYS OPEN TO SUSPICION THAT HIS WORD MAY BE FALSE.(3030-3031)
COMMENTARY. Previously-i.e. under the Chapter on The Revealed Word', the idea of the Eternal Word ' has been refuted in detail; and when its very existence is not admitted, how could there be any investigation regarding its self-sufficient validity ?
As regards the 'trustworthy person', no such person is admitted by the Mimämsaka himself; any work written by him also becomes inadmissible. Because, if a man has had all the defects,-Love, Hate, etc.-which are the source of untruth,-completely destroyed, then alone he can be regarded as 'trustworthy '; otherwise, how could trustworthiness be accepted in the case of a man whose mind is beset with the sources of untruth, in the shape of Love, Hate and other defects? And you, Mimāmsakas, do not admit of any such person as has completely shaken off the entanglements of the * Afflictions (Defects); hence there can be no 'word of the trustworthy person for you.-(3030-3031)
Then again, granting that there is a 'trustworthy person'; even so any 'word' (assertion) of such a person cannot be said to be known. This is what is pointed out in the following:
TEXTS (3032-3034). EVEN THOUGH SUCH A TRUSTWORTHY PERSON' MAY BE BORN, WHO COULD COME TO KNOW OF THE HOST OF HIS GOOD QUALITIES, AND THEREBY HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE WORDS OF SUCH A TRUSTWORTHY PERSON ?-IF THERE WERE SOME ONE WITH SUPERNORMAL VISION WHO COULD PERCEIVE HIS EXCELLENT QUALITIES, - - WHAT USE COULD SUCH A PERSON HAVE FOR ANY WORDS OF THE TRUSTWORTHY PERSON'? BECAUSE HE WOULD HIMSELF KNOW ALL THINGS, INDEPENDENTLY OF ALL ASSERTIONS. As FOR ANY OTHER PERSON, AS HE COULD NOT RECOGNISE THE TRUSTWORTHY PERSON', HE COULD NEVER LEARN OF THINGS YROM
HIS WORDS.—(3032-3034)
COMMENTARY. Unless it has been found who the 'trustworthy person is, it cannot be ascertained what is the word of the trustworthy person'; and it is not
