Verse 3215

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

सर्वज्ञसदृशः कश्चिद्यदि दृश्येत सम्प्रति ।
तदा गम्येत सर्वज्ञसद्भाव उपमाबलात् ॥ ३२१५ ॥

sarvajñasadṛśaḥ kaścidyadi dṛśyeta samprati |
tadā gamyeta sarvajñasadbhāva upamābalāt || 3215 ||

“If any person similar to the omniscient person were seen at the present time, then alone could the existence of the omniscient person be cognised on the strength of analogy.”—(3215)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following Text shows that the Omniscient Person cannot be vouched for by ‘Analogy’:—[see verse 3215 above]

Analogy, as a Means of Cognition—based upon similarity and its adjuncts,—envisages the far off things, and is invariably concomitant with the Cognition of a similar thing; for example, there is remembrance of the Cow through the perception of the Gavaya;—it is not possible for any one to perceive at the present time any person similar to the Omniscient Person;—hence, on account of the similar thing not being perceptible, Analogy cannot be operative in the case in question.

This argument may be formulated as follows:—When any object similar to an object is not perceptible, the latter cannot be amenable to Analogy,—e.g, the Son of the Barren Woman;—any person similar to the Omniscient Person is not perceptible;—so there is non-apprehension of the wider character.—(3215)