Jain Journal 1978 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 28

JULY, 1978
an object through the operation of the sense-organ, all hindrances to the formation of such knowledge being removed. It includes smộti or rememberance, cogniton, inference or deductive reasoning. Mati jñāna is sometimes distinguished into three kinds—perception, memory and understanding.
Sruta : It means knowledge embodied in the scriptures. It is derived through signs, symbols or words. While Mati-jñāna gives us knowledge by acquaintance, this gives only knowledge by description. The former cognises only what is present but the later comprehends all the three time dimension (past, present and future). Sruta-jñāna is of four kinds-association, attention, understanding and aspects of the meaning of things.
Avadhi : It is the knowledge in the form of recognition of particular physical occurance that happened sometime in past all obstruction to the way being removed. It is a direct knowledge of things even at a distance of time or space.
Manahparyāya : It enables a person to know the mind, idea and thoughts of other persons without the help of medium or outside agency. It is an extra-sensory perception like the Avadhi-jñāna. This intuition of mental modes is a sort of telepathy.
Kevala-jñāna : It is the pure, absolute, complete, whole and total knowledge. It comprehends all substances and their modifications. It is omniscience unlimited by space, time or object. Kevala-jñāna is quite independent and directly spiritual, requiring no external aids, medium or agencies like the mind, the sense organ, light, words, signs etc. The soul itself spiritually knows, perceives or intuits all substances with all their modes without any limitation. It precedes the attainment of moksa (Liberation).
Of the five kinds of knowledge the first two are indirect and mediate as they are acquired through the sense-organs and mind. The other three are direct and immediate because for them the soul requires no media such as the senses and the mind. Again the first three kinds of knowledge (the sensuous, the scriptural and clairvoyant) may be right or they may be wrong, false or perverted. It depends upon the attitude of the knower. If his attitude or outlook is perverted the knowledge obtained by him can not be right.