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THE MEANING OF OMNISCIENCE
meaning of Sarvajña' mentions Śiva, Buddha, and Visnu as its denotata, in its masculine form and Durga in its feminine form. Apte's Practical Sanskrit Dictionary1 practically agrees with them. According to Monier and Monier Williams, the15 term 'Sarvajña' means 'all-knowing'. There are about thirty references chosen from the varied fields of Sanskrit literature, to explain the meaning of the term. The Pāli equivalent for the Sanskrit Sarvajña' is Sabbaññu.16 According to the rules of Pali grammar, if the verbal root' ña' comes after the object, a suffix known as 'ku' takes place.17 However, the meaning of Päli 'Sabbaññu' is the same as Sanskrit Sarvajña'. The Prakrit equivalent of Sarvajña' is very similar to Pāli, as, "Savvannu" so is the Ardhamāgadhi equivalent 'Savvaṇņu'.19
19
Grammars like Jainendra,20 Katantra,21 Haima12 etc.
14 Gode P. K. and Karve C. G. (ed.), Apte's Practical Sanskrit English Dictionary (Poona, Prasada Prakasana, 1959, Part III., P. 1656.
15 Monier and Monier Williams (ed.), A Sanskrit English Dictionary (Oxford, Clarendon Press, New ed., 1956), p. 1185.
16 Rhys Davids T. W. and Stede W. Pali-English Dictionary (Surrey, Pali Text Society, 1921), pp. 139-140.
17 Kashyapa J., Pali Mahā Vyakaraṇa (Saranatha, Mahabodhi Society 1940), P. 192.
18 Suri V. R. (ed.), Abhidhana Rajendra (7 Vols., Ratlam Jain svet. Sangha, 1925) VII, p. 567, 585.
19 Ratnacandra (ed.), Ardhamagadhi Kosa (4 Vols., Limbdi, S. S. Jaina Conference, 1932), IV., p. 692.
20 Devanandi, Gunanandi (Com.), Jainendra Prakriyā, ed., Shri Lal Jain, (Kasi, Bharatiya Jaina Siddhanta Prakaśini, 1st ed. II. 2.3, p. 276. Devanandi, Abhayanandi (Com.), Jainendra Mahāvṛtti, ed., S. Tripathi, Kasi, Bharatiya Jñanapitha, 2013 (V. E.), II.2.3., p. 102.
21 Sarma Sarva, Bhava Sena (com.), Katantra Rūpamālā Jaipur, Vir Pustak Bhandar, 2481 (V. E.), Section. 587.
22 Hema-Laghu-Prakriya-Vyakaraṇa,
Hemachandra, Vinaya Vijaya, (com.), Bhavanagar, Jaina Dharma Prasaraka Sabha, 1974 (V. E.), p. 276.
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