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Triṃśikā (Vasubandhu) with Sthiramati's bhāṣya · 27
vijñaptimātram evedam ity api hy upalambhataḥ | sthāpayann agrataḥ kiñcit tanmātre nāvatiṣṭhate
Translation. Even with the thought, “This is representation-only (vijñaptimātra),”
since he apprehends—grasps and images—and sets some object before himself,
he does not abide in that alone.
Grammar check: 12 words pass / 0 flagged / 1 beyond the checkerPāṇini-verified
Every word's claimed grammar is re-derived with vidyut-prakriya, software implementing Pāṇini's rules. Flags are shown, never hidden; some are the text taking epic or Vedic liberties the classical rules do not generate.
Word by word
| surface | lemma | grammar |
|---|
| vijñaptimātram | vijñaptimātra | pass |
| eva | eva | pass |
| idam | idam | pass |
| iti | iti | pass |
| api | api | pass |
| hi | hi | pass |
| upalambhataḥ | upalambhatas | unsupported |
| sthāpayan | sthāpayat | pass |
| agrataḥ | agratas | pass |
| kiñcit | kim | pass |
| tanmātre | tanmātra | pass |
| na | na | pass |
| avatiṣṭhate | sthā | pass |
How the commentary settled it
Where the verse alone is ambiguous, the reading follows Sthiramati's commentary; the deciding lines are quoted below each decision.
Read vijñaptimātram as the restrictive technical compound ‘representation-only,’ predicated of idam; eva excludes an external object.→ A restrictive karmadhāraya, ‘representation-only,’ in a neuter nominative predicate construction with idam.
trbh [1476]vijñaptimātram evedaṃ artharahitaṃ na bāhyo 'rtho 'stīty evam
‘This is representation-only,’ devoid of an object; no external object exists—thus.
Take api concessively and understand the quoted clause as the thought of a practitioner who merely imagines himself established in pure representation-only.→ ‘Even with the thought, “This is representation-only.”’ The verse dislodges a conceited claim to attainment rather than confirming it.
trbh [1472, 1473, 1474]iti atha vā yaḥ punar ābhimānikaḥ śrutamātrakeṇa jānīyad ahaṃ
vijñaptimātratāyāṃ śuddhāyāṃ sthita iti tadgrahavyudāsārtham āha
vijñaptimātram evedam ity api hy upalambhata ity
Alternatively, someone conceited might think merely from hearing, ‘I am established in pure representation-only.’ To remove that grasping, he says: ‘Even [thinking], “This is representation-only,” because of apprehending …’
Analyze upalambhataḥ as a -tas indeclinable with causal/instrumental force, not as a genitive singular nominal form; understand apprehension as grasping and image-construction.→ The -tas indeclinable upalambhatas, rendered causally under hi: ‘since/by apprehending—grasping and imaging.’
trbh [1474, 1477]vijñaptimātram evedam ity api hy upalambhata ity
upalambhato grahaṇataḥ citrīkaraṇata ity artho 'grata ity abhimukhaṃ (
‘Even [thinking], “This is representation-only,” because of apprehending’; ‘from apprehension’ means ‘from grasping, from forming an image’; ‘in front’ means ‘facing [one].’
Construe sthāpayan agrataḥ as mentally setting an object before oneself, not physically placing an external thing.→ ‘Sets … before himself’ as a mental presentation made in accordance with what has been heard.
trbh [1477, 1478]'grata ity abhimukhaṃ (
Tvbh_136 ) sthāpayann iti yathāśrutaṃ manasā
‘In front’ means ‘facing [one]’; ‘placing’ means mentally, just as it has been heard.
Take kiñcit as the accusative object of sthāpayan and as one among numerous Yogācāra meditation objects.→ ‘Some object,’ with the indefiniteness explained by the multiplicity of yogic objects.
trbh [1479, 1480]bahuprakāratvād yogācārālambanānāṃ kiṃcid ity āhāsthisaṃkalikaṃ vā vinīlakaṃ
vā vipūyakaṃ vā vipaḍumakaṃ vā vyādhmātakādikaṃ vā tanmātre nāvatiṣṭhate
Because the objects of Yogācāra practice are of many kinds, he says ‘something’: for example, a skeleton-object, a bluish corpse, a festering corpse, a discolored corpse, a bloated corpse, and so forth. He does not abide in that alone.
Take tanmātre as ‘in that alone,’ referring back to representation-only, and explain the failure to abide there by the continued apprehension of consciousness.→ The locative refers to representation-only: despite the formula, the practitioner does not abide in it because consciousness is still grasped.
trbh [1473]vijñaptimātratāyāṃ śuddhāyāṃ sthita iti tadgrahavyudāsārtham āha
He thinks, ‘I am established in pure representation-only’; the verse is spoken to remove that grasping.
trbh [1480, 1481]vā vipūyakaṃ vā vipaḍumakaṃ vā vyādhmātakādikaṃ vā tanmātre nāvatiṣṭhate
vijñānopalambhāprahāṇāt
… or a festering, discolored, bloated corpse and so forth; he does not abide in that alone because apprehension of consciousness has not been abandoned.
Translate avatiṣṭhate as the active intransitive ‘abides/remains,’ with the commentary’s ābhimānikaḥ as implicit subject.→ ‘He does not abide,’ matching the contrast between his claim to be sthitaḥ and the commentary’s denial nāvatiṣṭhate.
trbh [1472, 1473]yaḥ punar ābhimānikaḥ śrutamātrakeṇa jānīyad ahaṃ
vijñaptimātratāyāṃ śuddhāyāṃ sthita iti
The conceited person might think merely from hearing, ‘I am established in pure representation-only.’
trbh [1480, 1481]tanmātre nāvatiṣṭhate
vijñānopalambhāprahāṇāt
He does not abide in that alone, because apprehension of consciousness has not been abandoned.