Indologica Taurinensia

Author(s): Colette Caillat, Siegfried Lienhard, Irma Piovano, Saverio Sani
Publisher: Comitato AIT

Page 39

On the Relationship of the Nyāyâvatāra and the Sammati-tarka-prakarāņa
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tionship between cognition and the reality, NA 31 98 characterises the cognitive subject. The structure of the work in itself appears to be quite coherent.
Conspicuously, this structure of NA 27-28, 31 corresponds also to that of the last chapter of the Tattvârtha-sūtra. In TS, first the causes of the kevala knowledge are mentioned, viz. “the destruction of confusion (sc. delusive karman) as well as the destruction of [the karman) veiling cognition, of [the karman) veiling insight (conation) and of the obstructive [karman]', all of them infecting innate cognitive capacities of the soul. 99 The contents of TS 10.1 corresponds to NA 28ab: "The direct result of cognitive criterion is the removal of nescience' (pramāṇasya phalam sākṣād ajñāna-vinivartanam). Secondly, Umāsvāmin describes the result of perfect cognition, which is liberation, and defines it as a complete freedom (vipramoksa), or destruction of (ksaya) of all karmans, which are both the cause and manifestation of suffering. 100 Again, this corresponds to NA 28c: '[the result] of the absolute cognition is [both) happiness and indifference' (kevalasya sukhôpekṣe). The subsequent portion of TS is an account of the final journey of the liberated soul to the top of the world, the abode of perfected beings (siddha-loka), which has no relevance in epistemological context. Clearly, it is understandable that it finds no equivalent in NA. However, the final aphorism of TS describes the nature of a perfected soul 101, and is echoed by NA 31. The final verse of NA 32 is merely a summary.
As we can see, also final verses of NA do not only form a consistent whole, but even comply with the contents of the traditional Jaina
98. NA 31: pramātā svânya-nirbhāsi kartā bhoktā vivrttimän/
sva-samvedana-samsiddho jīvah kşity-ādy-anātmakaḥ // - 'The cogniser is the observer of himself and of something different, the agent, the experiencing subject, is subject to change, is well-established by self-cognition, is the living element [and is someone) whose essence is not of earth, etc.
99. TS 10.1: moha-ksayāj jñāna-darśanâvaranântarāya-ksayāc ca kevalam.
100. The Svetāmbara recension reads it as two separate sūtras TS1 10.2-3: bandha-hetv-abhāva-nirjarābhyām, krtsna-karma-kşayo mokṣaḥ; the Digambara recension reads it as one sūtra, with a slight modification TS2 10.2: bandha-hetyabhāva-nirjarābhyām krtsna-karma-vipramokṣo mokṣaḥ.
101. TSi 10.7 = TS2 10.9: kşetra-kāla-gati-linga-tirtha-cāritra-pratyeka-buddha-bodhita-jñānâvagāhanântara-saṁkhyâlpa-bahutvataḥ sādhyāḥ.