1735 Verse 2746

Original

सर्वेषां च प्रसिद्धेयमीदृगर्थस्य हेतुता ।
धूमादावपि सर्वत्र विकल्पोऽयं समोऽन्यथा ॥ २७४६ ॥

sarveṣāṃ ca prasiddheyamīdṛgarthasya hetutā |
dhūmādāvapi sarvatra vikalpo’yaṃ samo’nyathā || 2746 ||

It is known to all what sort of a thing serves as the cause (of cognitions); if it were not so, then the speculation like the one started by the opponent could be started even with regard to such causes of cognition as the smoke and the like.—(2746)

Kamalaśīla

It has been argued by the Mīmāṃsaka, under Text 2320, that—“as regards amenability to the Senses, it has to be ascertained what it really is, etc. etc.”.

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 2746 above]

‘What sort, etc. etc,’—i.e. the idea is accepted as sound without any hesitation.

If that were not so, then even in regard to Smoke (as the cause of the Inferential Cognition of Fire), the speculation could be started, as—Is the smoke mentioned as the Reason something that is amenable to the Senses? Or is it only a product of ‘Idea’ or ‘Primordial Matter’ or ‘Time’ and so forth? Is it a composite made up of Atoms? Or is it not so composed at all?—And in view of such speculations, the ‘Smoke’ as the Reason would become ‘inadmissible’ by one party or the other.—(2746)