आगमे विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

Original

सर्वज्ञा बहवः कल्प्याश्चैकसर्वज्ञसिद्धये ।
य एवैकोऽप्यसर्वज्ञः स सर्वज्ञं न बुद्ध्यते ॥ ३१९१ ॥

sarvajñā bahavaḥ kalpyāścaikasarvajñasiddhaye |
ya evaiko’pyasarvajñaḥ sa sarvajñaṃ na buddhyate || 3191 ||

“For the proving of the existence of one omniscient person, it would be necessary to assume several omniscient persons; and if a single one of these happen to be not-omniscient, he would not be able to recognise the omniscient person.”—(3191)

Kamalaśīla

The following view might be held—There have been innumerable Tathāgatas (Enlightened Ones) in the past and they are going to appear in the future; and it is from the words of one of these that we derive the knowledge of the omniscience of the other; and that of the omniscience of the former from the words of a third, and so forth.

The answer to this is as follows:—[see verse 3191 above]

If for the purpose of proving the existence of one Omniscient Person, one goes on following up a series of Omniscient Persons, no man with limited vision could ever get at certainty regarding the Omniscient Person,—even at the end of his whole life; hence several Omniscient Persons would have to be assumed. [See Ślokavārtika 1. 1. 2, 135.]—(3191)