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From Nescience to Omniscience
knowledge of an omniscient is simultaneous or successive; whether the power of omniscience is potential or actual; whether an omniscient knows all the objects or simply the most important objects; and whether he knows the past and the future as the present or as the past or future. To the Mimāṁsakas? the term omniscient may either mean ( 1 ) the knower of the term 'omniscience' or ( 2 ) complete knowledge of one thing such as oil or ( 3 ) knowledge of the entire world in a most general way or (4) perfect knowledge of one's own respective scriptural matters or ( 5 ) simply knowledge of respective things through the respective Pramānas as far as possible. (6) Historical Development and Comparative Estimate of the
Concept of Sarvajñatva
The germinal concept of omniscience can be traced back to the Vedas where Varupa sits looking at all. In the Upanişads, the state of omniscience is the state of bliss or Turiyavastha. He who knows Brahman, knows everything. Ātman being known everything is known.2 Hiranyagarbha is Sarvajña.3 Likewise in the Vedanta, the Brahman alone, who is one without a secondt, is omniscient. In Buddhism, omniscience is granted to the Buddha. True to their nonmetaphysical attitude, they do not bother about each and everything5, but only about their Four Noble Truths, and their own religious observances etc. Prajñākargupta?
1. Tattvārtha-Sūtra-Bhaşya, I. 47, I. 51. 2. Sanghavi, Sukhalalji : Jñana-Bindu-Paricaya of Yasovijaya
(Jñana-mandala, Kashi, V. S. 1998), p. 45. 3. Macdonell, Vedic Mythology, p. 226. 4. Brhadaranyaka Upanişad, 4. 5. 6. 5. Chandogya-Upanișad, 6. 23; Aitareya-Upanişad 1. 1. 1;
Praśna-Upanişad, 6. 3. 4; Mundaka-Upanişad, 1. 1. 9;
Sankara Bhāşya ( Brahma-Sūtra ), 2. 1. 22. 6. Chandogya Upanişad, 6. 2. 1. 7. Pramāna-Varttika, 1. 33. 35.
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