1.12
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā / 1. Pratyaya (प्रत्यय) / 1.12
अथासदपि तत् तेभ्यः प्रत्ययेभ्यः प्रवर्तते अप्रत्ययेभ्योऽपि कस्मान् नाभिप्रवर्तते फलम्
athāsad api tat tebhyaḥ pratyayebhyaḥ pravartate apratyayebhyo 'pi kasmān nābhipravartate phalam
The line
Suppose that fruit, though absent from them, still proceeds from those conditions. Why does the fruit not just as well proceed from what are not conditions?
नेपालीमा
मानौँ त्यो फल तिनीहरूमा नभए पनि ती प्रत्ययबाट निस्कन्छ। फल अप्रत्ययबाट पनि त्यत्तिकै किन ननिस्कोस्?
Where it sits
Verse 1.11 said the fruit is not in the conditions. Verse 1.12 refuses the 'even so, it comes from them.' Verse 1.13 says the fruit is made of the conditions, and the conditions are not made of themselves, so a fruit made of them cannot be made of what is not self-made.
Split: atha (अथ) + asat (असत्) + api (अपि) + tat (तत्) + tebhyaḥ (तेभ्यः) + pratyayebhyaḥ (प्रत्ययेभ्यः) + pravartate (प्रवर्तते) + apratyayebhyaḥ (अप्रत्ययेभ्यः) + api (अपि) + kasmāt (कस्मात्) + na (न) + abhipravartate (अभिप्रवर्तते) + phalam (फलम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| atha (अथ) | indeclinable | now, suppose. |
| asat (असत्) | nominative singular, neuter | not being there, nonexistent in them. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | even though. |
| tat (तत्) | nominative singular, neuter | that. |
| tebhyaḥ (तेभ्यः) | ablative plural | from those. |
| pratyayebhyaḥ (प्रत्ययेभ्यः) | ablative plural, masculine | from the conditions. In agreement with tebhyaḥ (तेभ्यः). |
| pravartate (प्रवर्तते) | present, third person singular, middle | it proceeds. |
| apratyayebhyaḥ (अप्रत्ययेभ्यः) | ablative plural, masculine | from non-conditions. |
| api (अपि) | indeclinable | also. |
| kasmāt (कस्मात्) | indeclinable | why. Ablative of kim (किम्). |
| na (न) | indeclinable | not. |
| abhipravartate (अभिप्रवर्तते) | present, third person singular, middle | it proceeds forth. |
| phalam (फलम्) | nominative singular, neuter | the fruit. |
The phrases
Grant the escape: the fruit is not in the conditions, and yet it comes from them. Then the reason it comes from these rather than from those has been given up. Non-conditions would produce it just as well.
atha (अथ) introduces the opponent's next move, and the second line answers it.
Sanskrit in this line
kasmāt (कस्मात्) is 'from what reason,' an ablative used as 'why.' api (अपि) on apratyayebhyaḥ (अप्रत्ययेभ्यः) is 'from those too.'
Say it back
If absence is no obstacle, what else would produce the fruit?