आगमे विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

Original

मानसं तदपीत्येक नैतदिन्द्रियभावतः ।
भावात्तद्विकृतावस्य विकृतेश्चोपलम्भतः ॥ १३१३ ॥
सर्पादिभ्रान्तिवच्चेदमनष्टेऽप्यक्षविप्लवे ।
निवर्त्तेत मनोभ्रान्तेः स्पष्टं च प्रतिभासनात् ॥ १३१४ ॥

mānasaṃ tadapītyeka naitadindriyabhāvataḥ |
bhāvāttadvikṛtāvasya vikṛteścopalambhataḥ || 1313 ||
sarpādibhrāntivaccedamanaṣṭe’pyakṣaviplave |
nivartteta manobhrānteḥ spaṣṭaṃ ca pratibhāsanāt || 1314 ||

Some people have held that illusion is purely mental. but that is not so; as it is pound to appear only when the sense-organ is present (and operative) and to cease when this latter (becomes disordered, ceases). If it were purely mental, it should cease like the illusion regarding a serpent, even when the disorder of the sense-organ has not ceased; and yet it continues to be perceived quite clearly.—(1313-1314)

Kamalaśīla

The idea of these ‘some people’ is that it is not necessary to add, to the definition of Sense-perception, the qualifying term ‘not erroneous’ (for the purpose of excluding Illusion which, being purely mental, can never be ‘Sense-perception’).

Against this view the following might be urged:—Granting that Illusion is mental; even so, it is not necessary to add the qualifying term ‘not erroneous’; because what the person propounding the definition under review wanted to do was not to provide a definition of only that ‘Sense-perception’ which is brought about by the Sense-organs, but also of that Sense-perception which appears in the Mystic and which is purely mental; as in this latter Dream-cognition also is non-conceptual, as it appears quite distinctly; and yet it is not ‘non-erronoeus’; hence for the exclusion of this, the addition of the qualifying term ‘non-erroneous’ is necessary.

This is true; but there are Illusions possible through the Senses also [and they are not always mental]; hence the said view of ‘some people’ is not right.

The author explains how Illusions may be sense-born—‘But that is not so, etc. etc.’.—The illusion appears only when the Sense-organ is there, and when the Sense-organ is in any way disordered, i.e. hurt—the Illusion ceases; which shows that like any other sense-born cognition, this Illusion of the ‘Hair-tuft’ and the like also is Sense-born.

Further, if the Illusion belonged entirely to the Mind, then the mental aberration would be the sole cause of the Illusion, and hence the Illusion would cease on the cessation of the mental aberration, though the disorder of the Sense-organ may still be there.—The illusion regarding the serpent and such things is cited as an example.

That the Illusion should not be very clear is another incongruous, possibility cited. What is mixed up with Conceptual Content cannot bring about a very clear apprehension of the Thing; as the said Content operates only through the presentation of the Universal (which is always vague).—(1313-1314)

The following texts sets forth the objection of the other party:—[see verses 1315-1320 next]