0343 Verse 446-447

Original

न खलु प्रत्यभिज्ञानं प्रत्यक्षमुपपद्यते ।
वस्तुरूपमनिर्देश्यं साभिलापं च तद्यतः ॥ ४४६ ॥
भ्रान्तं च प्रत्यभिज्ञानं प्रत्यक्षं तद्विलक्षणम् ।
अभेदाध्यवसायेन भिन्नरूपेऽपि वृत्तितः ॥ ४४७ ॥

na khalu pratyabhijñānaṃ pratyakṣamupapadyate |
vasturūpamanirdeśyaṃ sābhilāpaṃ ca tadyataḥ || 446 ||
bhrāntaṃ ca pratyabhijñānaṃ pratyakṣaṃ tadvilakṣaṇam |
abhedādhyavasāyena bhinnarūpe’pi vṛttitaḥ || 447 ||

In fact, recognition can never be of the nature of direct sense-perception; because the form of the thing itself is inexpressible, and the recognition is expressed in words.—Recognition must be wrong, and sense-perception is entirely different from it. That recognition is wrong is clear from the fact that it appears in the form of the notion of ‘non-difference’ where, in reality, there is difference.—(446-447)

Kamalaśīla

The very fact of the said Recognition being of the nature of Perception is not admitted. Because the real character of a ‘Thing’ is inexpressible in words, because of the absence of contiguity; hence its real cognition can only be in the form of a mental apprehension; specially because when the Thing has not been apprehended as related to any words, it cannot be possible to apprehend it along with a verbal expression. Hence a Real Perception, pertaining as it does to the specific individuality of things, must be beyond all imposition, indeterminate. And as such Perception would be entirely valid, it cannot be wrong. This is the reason why wise men have declared the definition of Perception to be that ‘it is free from all determination, and not mistaken’, which is perfectly logical.—Recognition, on the other hand, is not ‘free from determination’, as it is always conceived in the verbal form ‘this is that same’; nor is it unmistaken, because it apprehends, as non-different, things that are really different.—(446-447)

Question:—“How is it so?”

Answer—[see verse 448 next]