Jaina Concept of Omniscience

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

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THE OMNISCIENT BEING
little later. Now accepting that there is an omniscient being, we can further ask : what sort of being it is? Is it personal or non-personal? Supposing that the omniscient is a personal being, we can further ask: has it some extra-ordinary and supernormal personality like that of Gods or has it an ordinary and normal personality like that of human beings? In case if it is claimed to be impersonal, the question, 'Is knowledge possible without a personality as its substratum ?' It will demand an answer. Apparently it merits a negative answer. However, the Mimāṁsakas do hold the possibility of impersonal knowledge when they regard the beginningless authorless, Vedas as the only source of knowledge of dharma. There are objections to this view. First, many human names like Katha etc. are given to the different sections of the Vedas imply human authorship. Then, the Vedic words, being caused entities, cannot be eternal. To these objections, the Mīmāmsakas say that the names occurring in the Vedas like Katha and the like may be taken as conventional without any reason because the name may be for the portion of the Veda being explained by such people.
Apart from the Mimārsakas, who claim all knowledge of dharma to be derivable from the Vedas, there are also the Vedāntins according to whom the impersonal Atman or Brahman is the highest principle of knowledge. Obviously the Vedāntins ascribe the power of omniscience, omnipotence etc. to īśvara but iśvara is after all the phenomenal and not the noumenal reality. Hence, omniscience as the real knowledge, has to be ascribed to Brahmın alone who is certaily impersonal
(B) Omniscience and Personality It is a truism that there must be somebody to acquire or possess the omniscient knowledge. It is also necessary that the knower should be endowed with personality. It is a common feeling that he must have at least the central unity which is