Path of Arhat

SR No.: 001745
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: T U Mehta
Publisher: Sohanlal Smarak Parshwanath Shodhpitha Varanasi
Publication Year: 1993
Total Pages: 262
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Spiritual, Religion, & Principle
File Size: 15 MB

Page 108

Journey to Freedom
[ 83
worldly existence but cannot do so, so long as Jñana, lame, without proper Darśana, does not co-operate and is ready to show the details of the path. It is thus clear that proper Darsana and proper Jñana are supplimentary to each other.
Regarding Jñana the Jaina philosophers have their own peculiar approach. To them, since the knower (Jñată) is the 'self', the true Jñana acquired by self is always 'direct'. The word used is 'Pratyakşa' (direct), i. e., without any medium. In ordinary sense, by 'direct', knowledge we mean, the knowledge acquired directly through senses or through our mind and reasoning. But to Jaina philosophers, this knowledge, acquired through our senses and mind is indirect. Because the main characteristic of Atman (soul) being pure and illuminating consciousness, its direct knowledge means 'knowing' the things without any medium whatever. This 'illuminating consciousness' of the soul is called 'Sva-para-prakasa', i. e., illuminating itself (Sva ) as well as all other objects (Para). This is why senses and mind are treated, in the ultimate analysis, as obstacles to the realization of 'Kevala-jñāna'. Omniscience is the purest form of knowledge. Therefore, the goal of every process of Yoga is to transcend the limitations of mind and body both. The basic difference between oriental and occidental thinkers is that while the orientals have gone deeper than the mind in the process of exploring the self (soul), the occidentals have mostly stopped at the mind process.
Five Categories of Jñana
Jainas have categorised Jñana ( knowledge ) into five categories Matiśrutā vadhi-manaḥ-paryaya-kevalāni Jñānaṁ1, i. e., Mati (Sensory), Śruta (Scriptural), Avadhi (Clairvoyance), Manaḥ-paryaya ( Telepathy) and Kevala Omniscience). We shall now discuss each of them in short and show how the soul proceeds to attain the last and the highest category of knowledge, i. e., Kevala-jñāna (Omniscience).
Jaina scholars have treated this subject very minutely but
1. 'मतिश्रुतावधि मन:पर्यय केवलानि ज्ञानम्'; Tattvartha-sutra, I. 9.