Verse 3552-3553

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

स्वातन्त्र्येण तु मर्त्त्यत्वं त्वया निश्चीयते कथम् ।
परकीयागमद्वारान्न तस्यैवमवस्थितेः ॥ ३५५२ ॥
नच तत्स्पर्धयाऽस्माभिस्ते सर्वज्ञा इतीष्यते ।
आकाशकुसुमैः को हि स्पर्द्धां सत्येषु कल्पयेत् ॥ ३५५३ ॥

svātantryeṇa tu marttyatvaṃ tvayā niścīyate katham |
parakīyāgamadvārānna tasyaivamavasthiteḥ || 3552 ||
naca tatspardhayā'smābhiste sarvajñā itīṣyate |
ākāśakusumaiḥ ko hi sparddhāṃ satyeṣu kalpayet || 3553 ||

How too do you ascertain, independently, the said ‘mortality’? Certainly not on the basis of the ‘scripture’ of other people; as what that scripture says has just been pointed out.—Nor do we postulate our ‘omniscient persons’ as rivals to the ‘omniscient persons’ postulated by others; who could ever conceive of any rivalry between real entities and ‘sky-flowers’?—(3552-3553)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

If you hold to the ‘mortality’ independently, then your Reason is doubtful—hence—Inadmissible’, In fact, you have no proof in support of the idea of the Blessed Lord being mortal,—by virtue of which the said mortality could be regarded as independently ascertained. Hence the ‘mortality’ has to be asserted by you on the basis of the scripture of the other party; and what the scripture of the other party has to say on the point has just been shown.—Thus the ‘mortality’ of the Blessed Lords remains ‘unproven’,—(3552-3553)

Question:—“How is it known that these other Omniscient Persons are like sky-flowers?”

Answer:—[see verse 3554 next]