Comparative Study of Indian Science

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: C S Mallinath

Page 30

22
modern psychologists of Europe admit this important truth and their account of perception is not essentially different from what the Jainas give of it.
Ordinary Direct Knowledge is of two sorts viz., of the Sensuous kind (Indriya-nibandhana) and of the Non-sensuous kind (Anindriya-nibandhana). It is admitted of course that the instrumentality of the Mind (Anindriya) is a common condition of Sensuous and Non-sensuous perceptions. But while the latter is due solely to the mental activity, the former is caused by the instrumentality of the senses in addition to the mental activity. Hence Perception is said to be of two kinds.
Sensuous Perception is perception due to the instrumentality of the Senses. But the question is – What is the nature of a sense-organ that it may cause perception? The philosophers of the Nyaya and the Vaiseshika schools consider the senses to be of a grossly material nature (vide Nyaya Sutra 1. 1. 12 and the Vaiseshika Sutra 8. 2. 5. and especially the commen- . tary of Sankara Misra on the latter). But such a conception of the nature of sense-organs leads to the difficulties of a psychological materialism, already observed. Accordingly the Sankhya school tries to give a better account of the senses. These as indicated in 23, Pradhana-karyadhyaya of the Sankhya-Sutras are not