Sacred Texts
Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 11.95

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Verses
2517
Minutes
1258
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 11 · Verse 95

ग्राह्याग्राह्यसाक्ष्यनिरूपणम्Which testimony is accepted

Verse 95

लिपिः प्रमाणं सर्वेषां सर्वत्रैव प्रशस्यते । विशेषाद्व्यवहारेषु न विनश्येच्चिरं यतः ॥ ९५ ॥

lipiḥ pramāṇaṁ sarvēṣāṁ sarvatraiva praśasyatē | viśēṣādvyavahārēṣu na vinaśyēcciraṁ yataḥ || 95 ||

Translation

Writing is praised everywhere as the proof for all, especially in transactions, since it does not perish for a long time.

Word by word

lipiḥ
(lipiḥ) writing
pramāṇaṁ
proof
sarvēṣāṁ
for all
sarvatra
everywhere
ēva
indeed
praśasyatē
is praised
viśēṣād
(viśeṣāt) especially
vyavahārēṣu
in transactions
na
not
vinaśyēt
(vinaśyet) does perish
ciraṁ
for long
yataḥ
(yataḥ) since

Meaning

Documents outlast memory.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

Now he tells the excellence of written evidence over other evidence, since it lasts a long time, with "lipiḥ" and the rest. In every matter, and especially in dealings such as buying and selling, writing (lipi) is praised as the evidence of all. Showing the reason for its excellence, he says "na vinaśyet": because writing does not perish for a long time; it lasts long: that is the sense.