1482 Verse 2291

Original

परेणोक्तान्ब्रवीमीति विवक्षा चेदृशी ध्रुवम् ।
तथा च नित्यतापत्तिर्नचान्यच्चिह्नमस्ति वः ॥ २२९१ ॥

pareṇoktānbravīmīti vivakṣā cedṛśī dhruvam |
tathā ca nityatāpattirnacānyaccihnamasti vaḥ || 2291 ||

“The idea in the mind, of every speaker is always that ‘i am uttering words that have been used by other persons’; this in itself makes them eternal; and there is nothing for you that would be indicative (of a contrary conclusion).”—[Ślokavārtika—eternality of words, 294].—(2291)

Kamalaśīla

Further, if Letters were not eternal, in the sense of being unchangeable,—then, in the mind of every user of words, the idea could not be there that ‘I am uttering only those words that have been used by others’; and yet as a matter of fact, this idea is there; hence it follows that this could not be possible if the Letters were not eternal.

This is what is explained in the following:—[see verse 2291 above]

Says the Opponent—If the Order of the Letters, Ga and the rest, is not eternal in reality,—nor are the articulations manifesting them, nor those Conjunctions and Disjunctions of the Palate, etc.,—then one cannot bring about these prompters of the articulations [as they are past and gone immediately on coming]; and the new ones that one does bring about have never before been found to be such prompters;—under the circumstances, how can the Letters, manifested in a certain order, become the means of comprehending the meaning?—(2291)

In view of all these arguments, the Mīmāṃsaka says:—[see verse 2292 next]