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1414
TATTVASANGRAHA: CHAPTER XXVI.
TEXT (3185).
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO DECLARE (1) THE OMNISCIENCE oy Buddha AND OTHERS, AND (2) THE ETERNALITY OF THE VEDA, AS STANDING ON THE SAME FOOTING, THE POINT WHEREIN THE LATTER DIFFERS FROM THE FORMER IS NOW GOING TO
BE POINTED OUT."-(3185)
COMMENTARY. Declare as standing on the same footing. Some people hold the opinion that" Both-Buddha, etc. and the Veda-are equal sources of right knowledge, hence the knowledge of supersensuous things can be obtained from the words of Omniscient Persons, as also from the Veda".To these peopl is now pointed out wherein the case of the Veda differs from that of the said Persons.-(3185)
"As a matter of fact, the existence of the Omniscient Person has not been vouched for by any one of the five Means of Cognition-Perception, Inference, Word, Analogy, Prosumption ;-how then can such a Person, who falls within the scope of 'Negation' (Non-apprehension only) and is non-ecistent, stand on the same footing as the Veda which is known to all men down even to the milk-woman ?-With this idea, the Vedic Scholar proceeds to refute the idea of the Omniscient Person being cognisable by any one of the five Means of Cognition, Perception and the rest
TEXT (3186).
“TRE OMNISCIENT PERSON IS NOT SEEN BY US AT THE PRESENT TIME
NOR IS THERE ANY INDICATIVE RECOGNISED AS PART OF THE
SUBJECT), WHICH COULD LEAD TO HIS INTERENCE."-(3186)
COMMENTARY. "By means of Perception we, men of limited vision, do not see the Omniscient Person ; because the perception of men of limited vision is of three kinds :-(1) Perception through the Senses, (2) Perception through the Mind, and (3) the Self-Cognition of all minds and mental phenomena. None of these three kinds of Perception can bring about the Cognition of the Omniscient Person ; because He does not form an object of such Cognition ; (1) Perception through the senses is restricted to the five objects-Colour, Odour, Taste, Touch and Sound; hence the mental functions subsisting in the chain of other persons cannot figure in Perception through the Senses.-(2) Nor can the Omniscient Person be the object of Perception through the Mind, because the Mind, as such, apprehends only such things as have been already apprehended by Perception through the Senses; and hence it is, like this latter, restricted to the same objects, Colour and the rest-(3) Nor can Ho be the objeot of "Self-cognition': because this apprehends only such mind and mental operations as occur in one's own Chain'; and
