Source Book in Jaina Philosophy

SR No.: 001263
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Devendramuni
Publisher: Tarak Guru Jain Granthalay
Publication Year: 1983
Total Pages: 590
Language: English
Classification: Book_English & Philosophy
File Size: 10 MB

Page 420

A SOURCE-BOOK IN JAINA PHILOSOPHY
the universal relation between the middle term and the major term and the application of that universal relation to specific instance. If this application is inconsistent and incoherent, valid inference would not be possible. The Carvaka maintains that the other world is unreal. This conclusion of Carvaka is also based on inference. If we do not make use of the inference for getting knowledge, life would be difficult and knowledge impossible. It would be necessary to correlate the cause-effect relation for the sake of becoming valid conclusions in inference. Similarly, in practical life we have to depend on the testimony of others for the sake of knowledge. Otherwise the knowledge and the life would not be possible on surer foundation. Human knowledge has no limits. Therefore, knowledge obtained through othermeans than the direct cognition through sense-organs, like inference and testimony would not become inconsistent and invalid. 1
MEMORY (SMṚTI)
3
The revival of the mental traces due to retention could be memory. Memory depends on recollection of the mental states retained in the mind of past experience. The recollection of the impressions received in the past is due to various causes, physical and the mental. The mental states of interest would be an important condition of memory. Jainas consider memory as a form of prajñā.
Other darganas in Indian philosophy do not give the status of pramă a to memory. According to them memory cannot become a pramāna because it has reference to the past events and the past events were perceived in the past and are no longer present the mind. At most, this is a form of revival of perceptual experience. But Jainas maintain that the correct knowledge of object with reference to the past, present or the future may be considered to be a pramāṇa. Memory presents the valid cognition of the past event through recollection. Therefore, it is pramāņa. Knowledge received through memory is
1 (a) Pramāṇamīmāṁsā 1, 2, 3
(b) Parikşamukha 3, 3.
2 Mahendra Kumar Jain, Jaina darsana, p. 294-295
399