Gems of Jainism

Author(s): Hemant Shah
Publisher: Academy of Philosophy

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senseous perception. According to the ancient texts, mati jnäna is described as synonymous with intelligence and it includes remembrance, recognition and inductive as well as deductive reasoning". "Mati jnana is sometimes further distinguished into three kinds viz. upalabdhi or perception, bhavana or memory, and upyoga or understanding11".
Gems of Jainism
Sruta- Jnana or Authoratative knowledge is knowledge derived through symbols / signs or words. All verbal knowledge is Sruta jnana. It includes all canonical, scriptual or both knowledge. "Sruta jnana is of four kinds, namely, labdhi or association, bhavana or attention, upayoga or understanding, and naya or aspects of the meaning of things!2". Sruta jnana is invariably preceded by mati jnana. As we saw, mati jnana cognises only what is present, the Sruta jnana comprehends, all the three time dimensions (past, present and future) relating to the object. "While mati jnāna gives us knowledge by aquaintance, this (Sruta) gives us knowledge by description13"
Avadhi Jnana or Clairvoyant is a sort of clairvoyant knowledge or direct visual intuition which enables a person to know things or objects even at a distance of time or space, without their coming into contact with sense organs.
Manah-paryaya or Telephathic knowledge is a direct knowledge of the thoughts of the minds of others. It is without the help of any medium or agency. Just like Avadhi jnāna, Manah paryaya jnana is an extra sensory perception. Manah-paryaya can not be attained by ordinary persons. Only a soul in its higher progression stage or at its higher guna-sthāna may acquire this type of knowledge.
Keval jnan or perfect knowledge "comprehends all substances and their modifications+." It is the pure, absolute, complete, whole and total knowledge unlimited by space, time or object. It is the very omniscience. Omniscience according to Jainism is possible. It is the highest type of perception which falls in the category of extra-sensory perception. It is the perception of the cognising faculty