1146 Verse 1655

Original

न चावस्तुन एते स्युर्भेदास्तेनास्य वस्तुता ।
कार्यादीनामभावः स यो भावः कारणादिना ॥ १६५५ ॥

na cāvastuna ete syurbhedāstenāsya vastutā |
kāryādīnāmabhāvaḥ sa yo bhāvaḥ kāraṇādinā || 1655 ||

“These several kinds (of negation) could not appertain to a non-entity; hence negation must be regarded as an entity; for instance, the ‘negation’ of the effect consists in the ‘presence’ of the cause—[Ślokavārtika-negation, 8].—(1655)

Kamalaśīla

The following might be urged—‘Even if there is this fourfold division, how does that make Negation an entity?’

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 1655 above]

There can be no division of a Non-entity; as division always rests in entities.—Hence Negation must be an entity.

“What sort of an entity can it be?”

Answer:—‘The Negation of the Effect, etc. etc.’—The Presence of the Cause—Milk, for instance—is what constitutes the Negation of the Effect—Curd; and the Presence of the Effect—Curd—is what constitutes the Negation of the Cause—Milk, It is in this way that Negation is an entity.—(1655)