Verse 3208-3209

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

अथापि वेददेहत्वाद्ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वराः ।
सर्वज्ञानमयाद्वेदात्सर्वज्ञा मानुषस्य किम् ॥ ३२०८ ॥
क्वच बुद्धादयो मर्त्याः क्वच देवोत्तमत्रयम् ।
येन तत्स्पर्द्धया तेऽपि सर्वज्ञा इति मोहदृक् ॥ ३२०९ ॥

athāpi vedadehatvādbrahmaviṣṇumaheśvarāḥ |
sarvajñānamayādvedātsarvajñā mānuṣasya kim || 3208 ||
kvaca buddhādayo martyāḥ kvaca devottamatrayam |
yena tatsparddhayā te'pi sarvajñā iti mohadṛk || 3209 ||

“It may be that Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara are embodiments of the Veda, and as the Veda consists in the knowledge of all things, these are omniscient; but how could that apply to man? Where, on one side are the mortal men, Buddha and the rest,—and where on the other, are the said three superior deities? Hence the idea that the former, in rivalry to the latter, are also omniscient,—is sheer delusion”.—(3208-3209)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Says the Opponent:—If you admit that it is possible for Brahmā and others to acquire pure knowledge through the practice of Meditation,—then, why should there be hostility towards Buddha and others,—by virtue of which the knowledge of these latter is not held to be ‘untrammelled’ and ‘pure’?

In anticipation of this, the Vedic Scholar presents another view and thereby shows the difference between Brahmā and the others:—[see verses 3208-3209 above]

As the Veda forms their very self, they are called ‘embodiments of the Veda’.

The Veda ‘consists in the knowledge of all things’ because it is the Means of obtaining the knowledge of all things.

What is meant is as follows:—

In the case of Brahmā, etc. also, the ‘untrammelled knowledge’ of Dharma, etc. does not come about independently; it comes only through the Veda.—

This however you do not admit in the case of Buddha, etc., whose knowledge is held to be dependent upon themselves.—Further, in the case of Brahmā, etc. it is only possible that there should be pure knowledge through the Practice of Meditation; because being Deities, they are superior to all Persons; and also because they are named in the Veda. In the case of a human being, on the other hand, there is no possibility of any such capacity; as his character is quite the reverse. Hence the idea that human beings also are omniscient is sheer delusion;—i.e. this is mere deluded fancy on your part.—(3208-3209)