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COMPENDIUM OF JAINISM
Jñāna is of eight kinds : (1) Mati jñāna, (2) Sruta jñāna, (3) Avadhi jñāna, (4) Manah-paryāya jñāna, (5) Kevala jñāna, (6) Kumati or Ajñāna of Mati, (7) Kuśruta or Ajñāna of Śruta and (8) Vibhangāvadhi or Ajñāna of Avadhi. The last three are false knowledge of the first three. It may be noted that while Nemicandra mentions Jñāna after Darśana in his Dravyasaṁgraha, Umāsvāmi has mentioned Jñāna first and Darśana next in his Tattvārtha-sūtra. The explanation offered by Pūjyapāda in his commentary on Tattvārtha-sūtra is that knowledge is worthier than apprehension.
Mati jñāna is knowledge derived through the senses : it also includes knowledge that arises through the activity of the mind. Śruta jñāna is knowledge derived from the scriptures, either by reading them or hearing when they are read. It may be termed as verbal knowledge as distinguished from Mati-jñāna which is non-verbal. Bhadrabāhu enumerates eight qualities of intellect which are necessary for scriptural knowledge. They are : desire for hearing, repeated questioning, attentive hearing, grasping, enquiry, conviction, retention and right action.11 Learning consists in competency to understand what is written. The distinction between the two consists in that in Mati-jñāna there is no external aid of a language or symbol while in the Srutajñāna, knowledge derived from the scriptures, does not stop with what is read or heard but developes into thought and action according to the compentency of the person concerned.
The third kind of knowledge is Avadhi jñāna which is clairvoyance. It is directly acquired by the soul without the aid of the senses or the mind. Knowledge in the hypnotic state may be cited as an example of Ayadhi-jñāna. According to Jaina philosophy, the soul in its perfect purity has the inherent capacity to know all things, without reference to space or time. It is knowledge of things which have shape or form and is derived by intuition. Intuitions differ in scope and durability with different persons due to differ in their merits. One endowed with the highest type of Avadhi can intuit all things having form.
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