Verse 3501-3502

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

तायिनः सर्वविज्ञत्वं या च वेदस्य नित्यता ।
तुल्ये जल्पन्ति नो विज्ञा नित्यताया असम्भवात् ॥ ३५०१ ॥
तस्या हि बाधकं प्रोक्तं क्रमाक्रमविरोधतः ।
विज्ञानादि न तत्कार्यं कथञ्चिदपि युज्यते ॥ ३५०२ ॥

tāyinaḥ sarvavijñatvaṃ yā ca vedasya nityatā |
tulye jalpanti no vijñā nityatāyā asambhavāt || 3501 ||
tasyā hi bādhakaṃ proktaṃ kramākramavirodhataḥ |
vijñānādi na tatkāryaṃ kathañcidapi yujyate || 3502 ||

The ‘omniscience of Buddha’ and the ‘eternality of the Veda’ have not been declared by any wise man to stand on the same footing; and this because the said eternality is impossible. The argument against it has been already pointed out, as consisting in the incompatibility involved in ‘simultaneity’ and ‘successiveness’;—by reason of this it cannot bring about any such effects as cognition and the like.—(3501-3502)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

It has been argued under Text 3185 that—“The omniscience of Buddha and others on the one hand, and the eternality of the Veda, on the other, are asserted as standing on the same footing, etc. etc.”

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verses 3501-3502 above]

‘Tāyin’—is the Blessed Lord Buddha.

If the Veda could be eternal, then alone it could be said that “the omniscience of Buddha and the eternality of the Veda (stand on the same footing)”; as a matter of fact, however, that itself is not possible; as arguments to the contrary have been already adduced above. The Author recalls the same arguments in the words, ‘consisting in the incompatibility, etc. etc.’—What this means has been already explained before.—(3501-3502)