Verse 3591-3592

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

नरः कोप्यस्ति सर्वज्ञ इत्याद्यपि न साधनम् ।
प्रतिज्ञान्यूनतादोषदुष्टमित्युपपादितम् ॥ ३५९१ ॥
निःशेषार्थपरिज्ञानसाधने विफलेऽपि हि ।
सुधियः सौगता यत्नं कुर्वन्तीत्यादिना पुरा ॥ ३५९२ ॥

naraḥ kopyasti sarvajña ityādyapi na sādhanam |
pratijñānyūnatādoṣaduṣṭamityupapāditam || 3591 ||
niḥśeṣārthaparijñānasādhane viphale'pi hi |
sudhiyaḥ saugatā yatnaṃ kurvantītyādinā purā || 3592 ||

It has been explained that the proving of the proposition that ‘there is some man who is omniscient’ is not vitiated by the defect of falling short of our proposition.—(3591)

This has been explained by us above (under text 3308) where it has been asserted that—it is with a totally different motive that the wise Buddhists make an attempt to establish the knowledge of all things, even though such attempt prove futile.—(3592)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

[verse 3591]:

It has been argued under Text 3230 that—“If proofs were adduced to prove that there is someone who is omniscient, then this would fall short of your Proposition”.

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 3591 above]

Question:—“By what part of your work has this been explained?”.

Answer:—[see verses 3592-3593 above]

[verse 3592]:

Then again, we are not proving the existence of the Omniscient Person with a view to ascertain that a certain teaching has been propounded by the Omniscient Person, and then and therefore to follow that teaching in practice. In fact, we ourselves seek to attain the position of the Omniscient Person and to that end we seek to prove that it is possible to get rid of the Defects and attain the excellent qualities (that mark the Omniscient Person). And the reason for this lies in the fact that the Buddhists have recourse to activities tending to the fulfilment of the several aims of man,—not on the strength of mere words, but on the basis of Inferences from the capacity of things. It has already been explained in what way such reasons as ‘cognisability’ and the rest can lead to conclusions.

It has been argued under Text 3238, that—“When He has passed through the Ten Stages, and Love and other Defects have become destroyed, then rapt in meditation..... He would not be able to impart any teachings”—The answer to this is that this argument also has been put forward by you, through your ignorance of our doctrine. The Blessed Lord is not held by us to be standing upon the Ten Stages; what we hold is that the Ten Stages are occupied during the Bodhisattva-Stage, and beyond and above that lies the Buddha-Stage, the state of Perfect Enlightenment, Buddha-hood.—(3592)