The Paradox of Omniscience (Sarvajñāna): From Divine Omniscience to the Mystical Self-Awareness in Indian Philosophy
Religions March 20, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/rel17030398 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Indian philosophy offers a distinctive spectrum of views on omniscience (sarvajñāna), moving from a question about who knows everything to a deeper puzzle about the nature of consciousness. The article traces this arc from Vedic texts through Upaniṣadic, Nyāya-Yoga, Mīmāṃsā, Jain, and Buddhist traditions, showing that omniscience is ultimately not about possessing maximal information but about a transformation from object-knowledge to non-objectifying awareness. Authentic liberation transcends encyclopedic omniscience, recognizing that the 'All' cannot be an object of knowledge because it is the condition for all knowledge.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Indian philosophy's enduring contribution to the global philosophy of religion is the recognition that the 'All' cannot be an object of knowledge because it is the very condition for any knowledge whatever. |
Abstract
While Western theology typically locates omniscience in a personal Creator-God, Indian philosophy presents a notable spectrum. This article traces the dialectical arc of omniscience (sarvajñāna) across major Indian philosophical traditions, arguing that what appears as an epistemological question—“who knows everything?”—is ultimately an ontological puzzle about the nature of consciousness itself. Moving from the Vedic oscillation between cosmic personhood (Puruṣa Sūkta) and primordial uncertainty (Nāsadīya Sūkta), through the Upaniṣadic internalization of omniscience as Self-knowledge (ātmajñatā), the article examines how Nyāya-Yoga affirms divine omniscience as a logical and soteriological necessity, how Mīmāṃsā displaces it onto an impersonal authorless text, and how Jainism and Buddhism reappropriate it as a perfected human achievement. The final section demonstrates that both Sāṃkhya’s isolation (kaivalya) and Advaita Vedānta’s non-dual realization ultimately transcend encyclopedic omniscience, revealing that authentic liberation requires not the possession of maximal information but a transformation from representational object-knowledge to non-objectifying awareness. Together, these trajectories constitute Indian philosophy’s most enduring contribution to the global philosophy of religion: the recognition that the “All” cannot be an object of knowledge, because it is the very condition for any knowledge whatever.