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1532
ITVASA VGRAHA: CHAPTER XXVI.
TEXTS (3501-3502).
THE 'OMNISCIENCE OF Buddha' AND THE ETERNALITY OF THE VEDA' HAVE not BEEN DECLARED BY ANY WISE MAN TO STAND ON THE SAME FOOTING; AND THIS BECAUSE THE SAID eternality IS IMPOSSIBLE. THE ARGUMENT AGAINST IT HAS BEEN ALREADY POINTED OUT, AS CONSISTING IN THE INCOMPATIBILITY INVOLVED IN 'SIMULTANEITY' AND 'SUCCESSIVENESS';-BY REASON OF THIS IT CANNOT BRING ABOUT ANY SUCH EFFECTS as Cognition
AND THE LIKE.-(3501-3502)
COMMENTARY.
Tāyin-is the Blessed Lord Buddha.
If the Voda could bo eternal, then alone it could be said that "the omniscience of Buddha and the eternality of the Veda (stand on the same footing)"; as a matter of fact, however, that itself is not possiblo; as arguments to the contrary have been already adduced above. The Author recalls the same arguments in the words, consisting in the incompatibility, etc. etc.'—What this means has been already explained before.-(3501-3502)
It has been argued under Text 3186 that, - "The Omniscient Person is not seen by us at the prosent time, etc. etc."
The answer to this is as follows:
TEXTS (3503-3504).
AS REGARDS THE ARGUMENT THAT THE OMNISCIENT PERSON IS NOT SEEN AT THE PRESENT TIME-BY YOU OR BY ALL MEN,—THIS HAS BEEN ALREADY ANSWERED IN DETAIL. AS REGARDS NON-PERCEPTION BY YOU, THAT, BY ITSELF, IS 'YALLIBLE', 'INCONCLUSIVE'; AS REGARDS NON-PERCEPTION BY ALL OTHER MEN. THAT MUST REMAIN ALWAYS DOUBTFUL.
(3503-3504)
COMMENTARY.
It has been argued further by Kumārila (Shlokavārtika) that- That He existed in the past cannot be presumed in the way in which it is presumed that He did not exist in the past".
The answer to this is as follows: