0958 Verse 1345

Original

छेदने स्वदिरप्राप्ते पलाशे न छिदा यथा ।
तथैव परशोर्लोके छिदया नैकतेति चेत् ॥ १३४५ ॥

chedane svadiraprāpte palāśe na chidā yathā |
tathaiva paraśorloke chidayā naikateti cet || 1345 ||

“Just as, when the cutting weapon strikes at the Khadira-tree, the resultant cut does not appear in the Palāśa-tree,—in the same way nowhere in the world is the (cutting) axe found to be the same as the cut itself”—[Ślokavārtika—sense-perception, 75).—(1345)

Kamalaśīla

In the following the Author sets forth the objection urged by Kumārila—[see verse 1345 above]

The Bauddha has addressed the following argument to the person who asserted that the Means of Cognition was different from its Fruit:—If there is difference between the Means of Cognition and its Fruit, then the objective of these two—the Means of Cognition and the Fruit of Cognition—also must be different; and yet this cannot be right; when, for instance, the cutting weapon, the Axe, is struck at the *Khadira-*tree, the Cut does not appear in the *Palāśa-*tree; hence it must be admitted that the objective of both is the same and hence there is no difference between them.

It is in answer to this that Kumārila says—“If one who desires the objective to be the same should declare the Means of Cognition to be the same as its Fruit, then he would be setting aside the well-known distinction between Cause and Effect; just as, when the cutting weapon strikes at the *Khadira-*tree, the Cut does not appear in the Palāsha-tree, so also nowhere in the world is the Axe found to be the same as the Cut itself” (Śloka-vārtika—Sense-perception, 74-75).

The word ‘Chedana’, ‘Cutting weapon’, stands for that by which something is cut.—(1345)