Jaina Concept of Omniscience

SR No.: 001547
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Ramjee Singh
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1974
Total Pages: 258
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Knowledge
File Size: 17 MB

Page 166

VALIDITY OF KNOWLEDGE AND OMNISCIENCE
153
tion of words is obvious for he uses apūrvārtha55 for anadhigata and sva for ātmā. Vidyānandi 56 has also used the terms sva, artha and vyavasāyātmaka in his definition, that speak of the influence of Samantabhadra. However, credit goes to Akalanka 57 to emphasise that only jñāna is pramāņa. Dharmabhūsana 58 says that the two terms jñāna as well is pramāna are derived with the affix 'anat' in the instrumental voice. Prabhācandra, giving the three ways in which pramāna may be derived, says that in the instrumental sense (karana), pramāna means "that by which right knowledge is gained”.59 The reason lies in the fact that the Jainas generally regard knowledge as cognisant irrespective of its being true or false. No knowledge is either totally valid or invalid So the criterion of validity will be complete non-discrepancy and that of invalidity its opposite i e., discrepancy. This point is illustrated with the example of a perfunied substance possessing other characterstics also besides smell, but because of the preponderence of a particular attribute, namely, of being perfumed, it is called a perfumed substance.60
In non-Jaina systems, Nyāya-vaiseșikas present a contrast to the Jainas. According to Kaņā la, right knowledge must be free from all defects.01 Vātsyāyana making an improvement
55 Mänikyanandi. Ibid. . 1. cp. Akalarka, Asta-sati, 36, cp. He seems
to have borrowed purvārtha from Kumārila or Dharmakirti and sya
from Samantabhadra. 56 Vidyānandi, Tattvārtha-śloka-Värttikam, I. 10.77. 57 M. K. Jaina, His Introduction to Siddhi-viniscaya-tikā of Akalanka
with comy. of Anantavirya, pp. 98-99, 58 Dharamabhūşana, Nya ya-di pikā, 1. 10. 59 Prabhācandra, Prame ya-kamala-martanda, pp, 3-4; cp. Akalarka,
Tattvärtha-raja-ārttikam, I. 10; Pramana nirnayah (Pratyaksa), p. 1; vide Jainendra Vyakarana II. 3.112 for grammitical objections and
for replies see Prabhācandra's Prame ya-kamala-martanda, p. 4. 60 Akalanka, Asta-sati (Asta-sahasri), p. 276; Laghiyastraya, 22, Siddhi
viniscaya-ţika, p. 94; Vidyānandi, Ibid., I. 10, 35-40. 61 Kavāda, Vaiseșika-sutras, IX. 2.12. JCO-20