Verse 3374-3377

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

एवं यस्य प्रसेयत्ववस्तुसत्तादिलक्षणाः ।
निहन्तुं हेतवोऽशक्ताः को न तं कल्पयिष्यति ॥ ३३७४ ॥
वेदवादिमुखस्थैवं युक्तिर्लौकिकवैदिकी ।
न काचिदपि शाक्योग्रसर्पज्ञानविषापहा ॥ ३३७५ ॥
दृग्विषैरिह दृष्टोऽपि स्वल्पशक्तिर्द्विजो जडः ।
वेदवादिमुखस्था तु युक्तिः साध्व्यपि दुर्भगा ।
कण्ठिका चरणस्थेव जघन्याश्रयसंस्थितेः ॥ ३३७७ ॥

evaṃ yasya praseyatvavastusattādilakṣaṇāḥ |
nihantuṃ hetavo'śaktāḥ ko na taṃ kalpayiṣyati || 3374 ||
vedavādimukhasthaivaṃ yuktirlaukikavaidikī |
na kācidapi śākyograsarpajñānaviṣāpahā || 3375 ||
dṛgviṣairiha dṛṣṭo'pi svalpaśaktirdvijo jaḍaḥ |
vedavādimukhasthā tu yuktiḥ sādhvyapi durbhagā |
kaṇṭhikā caraṇastheva jaghanyāśrayasaṃsthiteḥ || 3377 ||

When reasons such as ‘being known’, ‘being an entity’, ‘being’ and so forth are incapable of setting aside the omniscient person,—who is there who will not admit his existence?—Thus no reason, either temporal or scriptural, that the upholder of the Veda can have in his mouth, is capable of removing the poison of the awful serpent in the shape of the knowledge of the Śākya.—In fact, the feeble and dull-witted Brāhmaṇa, even when merely glanced at by the poison from the eyes (of that serpent), becomes unable even to breathe,—what to say of setting it aside! Any reasoning, even when sound, becomes ugly in the mouth of the Vedic scholar,—on account of its abundance in a lowly substratum; just like the string of beads placed at the feet.—(3374-3377)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following Texts sum up the author’s position and point out that the assertions of the opponents are contrary to the real state of things:—[see verses 3374-3377 above]

‘Who will not admit His existence?’—i.e. as a possibility. That is to say, when the mere absence of proofs to the contrary establishes that possibility.—This matter may rest here.

There is no wonder that the unsound reasoning appearing in the mouth of the Vedic Scholar does not shine; what is strange, however, is that even a sound reason when asserted by you, fails to shine, on account of the defective character of its substratum.—(3374-3377)

Question:—‘How so?’

Answer:—[see verses 3378-3379 next]