Jaina Concept of Omniscience

Author(s): Ramjee Singh
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 27

THE MEANING OF OMNISCIENCE
or by a series of cognitions ? The first alternative is unacceptable, since it is impossible to know the contradictory things like heat and cold simultaneously by one single cognition. But if it be possible to know them through a single abnormal cognition brought about by communion, then there can be no means of cognition to vouch for such knowledge since it is not produced by perception, inference, or authority. But if we accept the second alternative, we must say whether such a simultaneous knowledge apprehended by several cognitions is actual or possible only. If it is said to be actual, this view would be unacceptable since such a knowledge obtained by several cognitions covering even mutually contradictory things have never been found to exist at one and the same time. In fact, it is impossible to apprehend even in hundreds of thousands of years, each one of the inumerable things, past, present and future. But suppose, if the knowledge is only possible, we are then confronted with another question: If it be possible to know all things simultaneously, nothing will remain to be known by the omniscient being. In that case, after having this knowledge, he would behave as an unconscious being, since he will have nothing more to cognise, Supposing, for the moment, that this difficulty is somehow overcome, we shall still be faced with the question whether past and future are known as present or as they are, i.e, the past as past and the future as future. If we accept the first alternative, in that case, the distinctions of time as past, present and future will be lost as past and future will merge into the immediate present. But if we accept the second alternative, it will mean that the omniscient being cognises the past and future which are at present non-existents. Thus in both the cases, our knowledge would become illusory and wrong.
(b) Reality and Duty
To avoid many of the difficulties involved in the foregoing position, omniscience has been interpreted to mean knowledge of the important and essential things through