Divinity In Jainism

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Devendra Printing and Publishing Co Ltd

Page 32

Upamāna is based on a cognition of similarity. Nobody has ever seen a Being who is similar to an Omniscient Being and hence Upamāna cannot prove Omniscience. The Omniscient Being is neither proved by Arthāpattr. The object of Arthāpatti is something, which being denied, another thing which has already been validly established becomes impossible. Now, 110 object or phenomena which is already known becomes impossible if the Omniscient Being is denied Hence Arthāpatts is incompetent to establish the Omniscient Being If it be urged that on the impossibility of Omniscience, Buddha, Manu etc, cannot be held to be reliable teachers of religion and morality, the answer is that it is the Vēdas that are the emporium of all knowledge. Buddha, of course, has left many teachings about rules of morality, but as he was not versed in the Vēdas, he is to be held as having taught through ignorance, his teachership does not prove his Omniscience. Manu also is a teacher, he, too, is not Omniscient. Sages like Manu etc., were the foremost among persons, versed in the Vēdas, their teachership does not prove their Omniscience, all that their teachership proves is that the Vēdas are the emporium of all knowledge and that as Manu etc., were