0784 Verse 1081

Original

नाभाबोऽपोह्यते ह्येवं नाभावोऽभाव इत्ययम् ।
भावस्तु न तदात्मेति तस्येष्टैवमपोह्यता ॥ १०८१ ॥

nābhābo’pohyate hyevaṃ nābhāvo’bhāva ityayam |
bhāvastu na tadātmeti tasyeṣṭaivamapohyatā || 1081 ||

Negation is not ‘excluded’ (denied) in the words ‘negation is not negation’; it is however clearly ‘excluded’ (denied) in such expressions as ‘the entity is not of the nature of negation’.—(1081)

Kamalaśīla

It has been argued (under Text 956, by Kumārila) that—“Negation cannot be subject to exclusion, etc. etc”.

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 1081 above]

Negation is not ‘excluded’ in the words ‘Negation is not Negation’,—by virtue of which it would abandon its negative character (as urged by Kumārila). But, what is an Entity has the positive character, and as such remains distinct from the Negative; hence by implication, the Negation becomes subject to ‘Exclusion’; this is what is meant by us.—(1081)

This same idea is further clarified in the following—[see verse 1082 next]