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Chapter 1 – Sutras 2-30
In the context of direct experience or scriptural knowledge, there is mental knowledge (mati jñāna) and also auditory knowledge (śruta jñāna). What is the difference between the two?
When mental contemplation includes verbal expression, it is referred to as auditory knowledge; when it is devoid of this, it is termed mental knowledge. The ultimate knowledge that reaches the highest reality (parama prakṛti) has the ability to view innumerable aspects of the palpable (mūrta) substances, but it can only comprehend tangible substances directly, not the intangible ones. Likewise, it cannot fully understand the entirety of tangible substances.
Mind-conditional knowledge (manah-paryāya jñāna) also can only directly comprehend tangible substances; however, the same cannot be said for ultimate knowledge (avadhijñāna). This is because through ultimate knowledge, all types of physical (pudgala) substances can be grasped; whereas, mind-conditional knowledge can only grasp the substances that have taken the form of a mind, and even then, only within the realm beyond human. Therefore, mind-conditional knowledge is said to be an infinite part of the subject of ultimate knowledge. Despite being as pure as possible, mind-conditional knowledge cannot grasp the entirety of the properties of the substances that can be perceived by the senses (pithana). The truth is that the knowledge, no matter how pure, is merely an incomplete manifestation of consciousness and remains incapable of comprehending the complete essence of any one thing. This is a principle that any knowledge that comprehends the complete essence of a single thing...