1546 Verse 2405

Original

किं वैकृतकताऽर्थानां मिथ्याज्ञाननिबन्धनम् ।
एवं हि नैव धूमोऽग्नेर्यथावद्द्योतकं भवेत् ॥ २४०५ ॥

kiṃ vaikṛtakatā’rthānāṃ mithyājñānanibandhanam |
evaṃ hi naiva dhūmo’gneryathāvaddyotakaṃ bhavet || 2405 ||

Does the ‘character of being a product’ make things the source of wrong cognitions? In that case, smoke would not be the correct indicator of fire.—(2405)

Kamalaśīla

That alone can be a qualification of the Reason (Probans) which serves to differentiate the Probans from the contrary of the Probandum;—otherwise, if any and every qualification could make the Reason conclusive, then no Reason could ever be Inconclusive; because qualifications would easily be available by the mere wish for it;—the character of not being a Product does not set aside its capacity to bring about wrong notions; because if being a product were known to be the cause of being a source of wrong notions, then the absence of the former might mean the absence of the latter also.

The Opponent might say—“It is so known”.

The answer to that is—‘In that case, etc. etc.’—If the character of being a Product were the reason for being the source of wrong notions,—then the character of not being a Product would be the reason for being the source of right notions;—because Right and Wrong Cognitions being mutually contradictory, both could not proceed from one and the same cause; e.g. Fire, which is the source of Heat, cannot be the source of gold; consequently, as Smoke is a product, it could not be the means of the Right Notion of Fire.—(2405)