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JULY, 1978
it as he knows it, is termed as reliable or authenitc (āpta).23 Such a person can never tell a lie. The omniscient, who is totally free from passions, is regarded by the Jaina as the real or extraordinary authentic person. From the pragmatic point of view, father etc. are considered to be ordinary reliable persons. : Verbal knowledge is also known as scriptural knowledge. The Jaina scriptures are neither eternal, i.e., apauruşeya in the sense of the Mimamsaka nor God-Created, i.e., išvarakyta as conceived by the Naiyayika. They are human creations based on the preachings of the passionless omniscient Tirtharkara. Hence, they are valid means of knowledge.
Thus, Jainism has contributed a number of original ontological, epistemological and logical concepts and enriched the philosophical thought of India.
23 Ibid., 1.61.
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