0487 Verse 637

Original

न च देशविभागेन स्थितो नीलादिरिष्यते ।
व्यज्यते यस्तदा तेन तस्य भेदोऽणुशस्ततः ॥ ६३७ ॥

na ca deśavibhāgena sthito nīlādiriṣyate |
vyajyate yastadā tena tasya bhedo’ṇuśastataḥ || 637 ||

The blue colour is hot held to exist in well-defined parts; hence what is manifested then by that (light) must, on that account, vary with each atom.—(637)

Kamalaśīla

It might be urged (by the Opponent) that “there do come about the manifestation and perception of the entire Blue Colour?”.

The Answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 637 above]

‘Then’—at that time.

‘By that’—by the light coming through the aperture.

‘What’—i.e. the Blue Colour.

In case it is admitted that the Blue Colour in its entirety varies with each atom,—then that would imply the presence of the Atomic Dimension in the Blue Colour,—just as in a Substance; which would mean that the Blue Colour has a quality (Dimension); so that it would have the character of ‘Substance’ (which alone can have a quality), and not that of ‘Quality If things varying like this with each atom, were called ‘Quality’, then the dispute (between us) would be only in regard to names.—When the thing is possessed of the Atomic Dimension, it cannot be right to regard it as a ‘Quality’, simply on the ground of its subsisting (in a Substance); because there can be no ‘subsistence’ between two things, one of which exists and the other does not; if there were, it would lead to absurdities. That is to say, in that way, on the ground that it subsists in the Component substance, the Composite Substance would also have to be regarded as a ‘Quality’.—(637)