Jaina Perspective in Philosophy and Religion

SR No.: 001747
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Ramjee Singh
Publisher: Parshwanath Shodhpith Varanasi
Publication Year: 1993
Total Pages: 282
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, & Yoga
File Size: 15 MB

Page 110

Advaita Trends in Jainism
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knowledge of all things. Jacobil has quoted an old Jaina Stanza "one who knows one things, knows all and he alone who knows all things knows everything completely.”2
This is the culmination of enlightment, soul-knowledge in its prestine form, perception par-excellence. It does not depend upon any sense ( Atīndriya ) and arises after destruction of all obstruction3.
This is relativism par-excellence. To an omniscient the limitation of Syadvada or conditional predication logically cannot bind. He is all knowing. The veil of ignorance is lifted which obscures vision. Thus here we see that the theory of relativity presupposes the hypothesis of an absolute. The very consciousness of our relativity means we have to reach out a fuller conception. A mere pooling of the contributions of the different standpoints (Naya ) will not lead us to the truth in itself. Truth is not a haphazardous jumbling up of its every bits but is a harmonious whole. Dr. Raju holds that “their ( Jainas ) doctrine is a doctrine of the relativity of knowledge"4. They hold "there is reality; its nature is such and such. still, it is possible to understand it in quite opposite ways"'5. But to the omniscient there would not be relative but absolute and unconditional knowledge. Thus relativism as logically pushed forward leads to absolutism. The moment we accept that there is intuitional knowledge of the
1. Jaina Sūtra, II, p. 34. 2. Cf. : Acaranga-sūtra, 1. 3. 4, Višeşávaśyaka Bhasya. 3. Cf. : Parikşă-mukham, 2. 10; Tattvärthadhigama-sūtra, X.
1; Nyāyā vatara, 27; Prameya-kamala-martanda, 1. 1. 9-10; Pramāņa-naya-tattvalokālaikā ra, 11. 18; Sthanālga-sūtra,
226; Dravya-sarigraha, 5; Raja-praśniya, 165. 4. Raju, P. T. : The Principle of Four-cornered Negation in
Indian Philosophy, Extracts from the review of Meta
physics, Vol. VII, No. 4, June 1954, p. 707. 5. Ibid, p. 697.