०१ प्रामाण्यम्

इह केचिद्
यतस्-ततो-ऽवगत–कतिपय-कुतर्क-कल्क-विस्फूर्जित-विजित-मनसस्
त्रयी-मार्ग-संरक्षण-व्याजेन निज-विमर्श-कौशलातिशयम् उपदर्शयन्तः
परम-पुरुष-विरचित-निरतिशय-निश्रेयस-गोचर-पञ्चरात्र-तन्त्र-प्रामाण्ये विप्रतिपद्यन्ते ।+++(5)+++

4. There are certain people whose minds are confused by the noise of multitudes of sophisms and falsehoods which are borrowed from anyone that comes and claiming superiority for their own studies and learning, and pretending to protect the Way of the Veda,’ they refuse to accept the authority of Pañcaratra Tantra which, being composed by the Supreme Person Himself, leads to unparalleled beatitude.

In the purva paksa the principal opponents introduced are what one may already call smārta brahmins, and among them especially the orthodox followers of Mimāmsa. Vedanta opposition will be discussed.

See JRAS (1911), pp. 940-41, for various definitions of the term ‘Pāñcarātra’. See also the latest article on the meaning of the term by Dr. V. Raghavan, JAOS, Vol. 85, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1965), pp. 73-79. The Mahāsanatkumāra Saṃhitā, Indrarātra section, ch. III, offers the following explanation for the term “sāttvata”:

sa punassāttvate yasmāt kule jātassureśvaraḥ,
tasmāttu sāttvatāṃ nāma purāṇaṃ kovidā viduḥ
upadiṣṭaṃ pañcarātraṃ tena lokahitaiṣiṇā,
āhukāṃstu samuddiśya tena sāttvatamucyate

(Adyar edn. p. 245, śls. 79-80)

इह केचिद्यतस्ततोऽवगतकतिपयकुतर्ककल्कविस्फूर्जितविजितमनसस्त्रयीमार्गसंरक्षणव्याजेन निजविमर्शकौशलातिशयमुपदर्शयन्तः
परमपुरुषविरचितनिरतिशयनिश्रेयसगोचरपञ्चरात्रतन्त्रप्रामाण्ये विप्रतिपद्यन्ते ।

वदन्ति च ।

And they contend:

The Mīmāṃsaka is the pūrvapakṣin here.

वदन्ति च ।

द्वेधा खलु प्रमाणत्वं
वचसाम् अवसीयते ।
एकम् मानान्तरापेक्षम्
अनपेक्षम् अथेतरत् ॥

It has been decided that Verbal Testimony is a means of knowledge in two ways: dependent testimony which depends on other authority, and independent testimony.

shabda, and its synonyms, have been translated variously as Verbal Testimony, Verbal Evidence in general, or Scripture in particular, depending on the context.

द्वेधा खलु प्रमाणत्वं वचसामवसीयते ।
एकम्मानान्तरापेक्षमनपेक्षमथेतरत् ॥

तत्रापि ।

These two kinds are thus distinguished:

तत्रापि ।

न तावत् पुरुषाधीन-
रचनं वचनं क्वचित् ।
आसीदति प्रमाणत्वम्
अनपेक्षत्व-लक्षणम् ॥+++(4)+++

No verbal assertion can be a means of valid knowledge if it has been formulated by a person;
for a verbal assertion to be authoritative, it must by definition be independent.

Cf. Prakaraṇapañcikā II. 19:

वाक्यं हि पुरुषाधीन-रचनं लौकिकं सदा ।
शङ्क्यमानायथार्धत्वं नार्थ-निश्चायकं स्वतः ॥

न तावत्पुरुषाधीनरचनं वचनं क्वचित् ।
आसीदति प्रमाणत्वमनपेक्षत्वलक्षणम् ॥

पौरुषेयं हि वचः प्रमाणान्तर-प्रतिपन्न-वस्तूपस्थापनायोपादीयमानं
वक्तुस् तद्-अर्थ-सिद्धिम् अनुरुध्यमानम् एव प्रमाण-भावम् अनुभवति ।

That is to say: verbal evidence which originates from a person
carries authority only then when it is used to corroborate a fact
which has already been truly established by other means of knowledge,
and which enables the speaker to take this fact for granted.

prāmāna has generally been rendered with “means of knowledge,” sometimes with “criterion.”

पौरुषेयं हि वचः प्रमाणान्तर-प्रतिपन्न-वस्तूपस्थापनायोपादीयमानं
वक्तुस् तद्-अर्थ-सिद्धिम् अनुरुध्यमानम् एव प्रमाण-भावम् अनुभवति ।