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EXAMINATION OF THE 'PERSON OF SUPER-NORMAL VISION'. 1421
herbs, people are found to comprehend rightly the food a man has eaten, the thing he has thought of in his mind, the thing lying in his closed fist; and yet merely by this, they do not become persons conversant with such things as Dharma and Adharma. For instance, some people who are expert in magic are able to show to people strange gardens, flying cars, celestial damsels, and heavenly beings in the sky. Hence in view of all this, the reason adduced must be rejected as Inconclusive':-(3196-3198)
Says the Opponent-In the Itihāsas and Puranas, Brahmā and other Beings have been described as omniscient; as we read there of Brahma's knowledge and dispassion being 'unobstructed'. How then can it be said that the existence of the Omniscient Person is not vouched for by the Scriptural Word ?
The answer to this is as follows:
TEXTS (3199-3201).
“THE DESCRIPTION THAT WE MEET WITH IN Itihāsas AND Puranas or Brahma BEING OMNISCIENT AND OF HIS KNOWLEDGE AND DISPASSION AS UNTRAMMELLED, -ALL THIS SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD IN THE FIGURATIVE SENSE, LIKE THE COMMENDATORY DECLARATIONS RELATING TO Mantras. -OR, THE UNTRAMMELLED KNOWLEDGE THAT IS SPOKEN MAY BE TAKEN AS REFERRING TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF dharma AND OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO THE PARTICULAR CONTEXT;-WHAT IS MEANT IS THAT HIS KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH THINGS AS 'DUTY,
PROPERTY, PLEASURE' AND 'LIBERATION', IS "UNTRAMMELLED '; IT CANNOT REFER TO all
things."-(3199-3201)
COMMENTARY.
Just as, in regard to Vedic Mantras there are commendatory Declarations, so in the Itihäsa and Purāna, the assertion of the omniscience of Brahma and other Beings, should be taken as Oommendatory Declarations. When a set of words directly expressing one thing is taken as expressing something else, it is called 'arthavāda', 'Figurative or Commendatory Declaration'.
Or the meaning may be that the knowledge of Brahma is untrammelled so far as the things spoken of in the Itihasa and Purāna are concerned, such as Duty, Property, Pleasure and Liberation; and it does not refer to the knowledge of all things.-(3199-3201)
Question :-If the knowledge of Brahmã relating to other things were trammelled' (obstructed),then how could it be called ' untrammelled'?
Answer :
