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NandiSootra
SHRUT NISHRIT MATI-JNANA
[111] MEANING -Question - What is this shrut nishrit mati-jnana?
Answer - Shrut nishrit mati-jnana is said to be of fourtypes (1) Avagraha, (2) Iha, (3) Avaya, and (4) Dharana.
COMMENTARY -Avagrah In Jain Agams there are said to be two types of upayog (indulgence) with form and formless. These two have also been called darshanopayog (indulgence in perception) and jnanopayog (indulgence in knowledge). Darshanopayog precedes jnanopayog; that is why it has also been mentioned here. To generally know about the existence of a thing through its required partial contact with sense organs and mind is called darshan or perception. Immediately after this is born the knowledge that understands the thing more specifically, recognizing if it is human, matter or something else. This is called auagrah. In simpler terms the simple knowledge devoid of any specific adjectives or other concepts is called avagrah.
Iha - The effort, by way of analyzing the perceived information, to intelligently know the subject that follows avagrah andprecedes avaya is called iha. Generally speaking, the desire to know the superficially perceived subject during avagrah, in greater detail is called iha. During avagrah reality and unreality or true and false both are received. The process of analyzing that information reject the unreal and accept the real is accomplished by iha.
Avaya The decision arrived at through the activity of iha is called avaya. Decision and certainty are other names of avaya. This means that the decisive or certain knowledge is called avaya.
Dharana - To accept or absorb, into the mind or the memory, the so decided meaning is called dharana. A decision stays only momentarily. It vanishes the moment the attention is diverted or the subject is changed. But it sticks into the memory as sarnshar (attitude, here the key that activates the specific memory) and surfaces when it is triggered by some coincidence. Such reality, firmly established into memory is also known as dharana. There are said to be three levels of dharanaAvichyuti - Not to be diverted from the indulgence directed to avaya. In other words to be firm on the decision arrived at by iha. The maximum duration of this undivided dharana is antarmuhurt. Any indulgence of a chhadmasth does not stick to one subject for more than antarmuhurt.
Vasana - When the knowledge acquired in the state of avichyuti is fixed into the memory as samskar it is called vasana. When to be firm or to be decisive becomes a habit it may be called vasana. These samskars may last for countable or uncountable period.
Smriti - After vasana is acquired, by seeing an object or by some other coincidence the knowledge surfacing as a consequence of 'profound samskar is known as smriti.
These four categories of shrut nishrit mati-jnana occur essentially in this sequence. Which means that first of all avagrah comes into play, then iha, after iha comes avaya and after avaya comes dharana. This sequence is inter-related.
*AVAGRAH**
[112] MEANING -Question - What is this avagrah? Answer Avagrah is said to be of two types - - (1) Arthavagrah and (2) Vyanjanavagrah. Aagam- 44 -NandiSootra
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Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
