athāpi syādyaḥ prāk saṅkekāle dṛṣṭaḥ so 'rthavāneva, sādṛśyamitareṣāṃ bhaviṣyatītyāha tasyaitāvān kṣaṇaḥ kuta iti /
Even if it be argued that "the [word] which was perceived earlier at the time of convention indeed had meaning, and the others will have similarity [to it]," [the author] states "whence [comes] its duration for such a long time?"