उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

176 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XVI
27. The teaching of a means to the attainment of
the end (viz., the bringing to an end of the idea of
continuity in knowledge and its object) becomes
useless. For it requires no effort to be accomplished.
As all phenomena exist only for a moment¹ the
coming to an end of the said continuity does not
depend on anything else.
अपेक्षा यदि भिन्नेऽपि परसंतान इष्यताम् ।
सर्वार्थे क्षणिके कस्मिंस्तथाप्यन्यानपेक्षता ॥ २८ ॥
28. If, (according to you,) the effect depends on
the cause though unconnected with it you have to
accept dependence on a series² which is quite
foreign.³ (If you say) “Though all things, i.e. causes
and effects, are momentary some effects depend on
some fixed causes,” still nothing can depend on anything
else (according to your doctrine of momentariness).
तुल्यकालसमुद्भूतावितेरेतरयोगिनौ ।
योगाच्च संस्कृतो यस्तु सोऽन्यं हीक्षितुमर्हति ॥ २९ ॥
29. That particular one of two⁴ things existing at
the same time and connected with each other is fit
to depend on the other owing to whose connection it
is benefited.⁵
¹ The ideas of continuity and indiscrimination also being
momentary there is no effort necessary to remove them.
² Each phenomenon continually produced and destroyed every
moment and produced again is known to be a series.
³ E. g., in order to be produced, curd may depend on sand instead
of milk. ⁴ E.g., a sprout and a cloud. ⁵ Here ends the
refutation of those who hold the doctrine of momentariness.