2153 Verse 3519-3520

Original

न खल्वस्मिन्प्रसिद्धेऽपि वेदे नित्यत्वमस्ति यत् ।
प्रयत्नानन्तरज्ञानक्रमिज्ञानादि तत्फलम् ॥ ३५१९ ॥
किन्त्वेतस्य प्रसिद्धस्य प्रामाण्योपगमे सति ।
शाखान्तरेऽपि वेदत्वात्प्रामाण्यं ते प्रसज्यते ॥ ३५२० ॥

na khalvasminprasiddhe’pi vede nityatvamasti yat |
prayatnānantarajñānakramijñānādi tatphalam || 3519 ||
kintvetasya prasiddhasya prāmāṇyopagame sati |
śākhāntare’pi vedatvātprāmāṇyaṃ te prasajyate || 3520 ||

In fact, eternality does not belong even to the Veda well-known as such; because it represents cognition following after effort, or the result of successive cognitions and so forth.—But in case the well-known Veda is accepted as reliable, you have to accept the other rescensional text also as reliable, because that also is Veda.—(3519-3520)

Kamalaśīla

Though the Ṛgveda and the rest are well-known as Veda, yet it is not well known that they are eternal.

“How so?”

‘Because, etc. etc.’; ‘yat’ stands for ‘yasma’, ‘because’;—the Cognition after effort, or the successive Cognition, is all not-eternal; just like the Jar and other things;—so also is the Veda;—hence it is a Reason based upon the nature of things.—The charges of ‘Inadmissibility’, etc. against this Reason have been fully refuted under the chapter on the ‘Revealed Word’, hence it is not done over again here.

‘Etasya’—of the well-known Veda.—(3519-3520)

“But the fact of the other Rescensional Text (put forward) cannot be admitted”—says the Opponent.

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 3521 next]