Jaina Concept of Omniscience

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

Page 50

THE BELIEVERS IN OMNISCIENCË
Set before the individual and all its great and good qualitis are vividly described in a prayerful mood of self-resignation. If he is in affliction, he prays for its merciful help, if he is keen on having knowledge of God, he seeks its divine light and if he has some mundane desires, he prays to it for their fulfilment. But the best devotee is he who desires to pray for prayer's sake. Of the nine kinds of Bhakti, Kirtanam is one of them, which consists in praising the deity in all respects. The devotee attributes to the Deity all the excellences like omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience etc.
This approach of worship and devotion is found in all religious sects, and it seem to have its origin in the Vedas. There is a tendency in the Vedas, to extol each of the many deities as the suprenie God, in course of the prayer offered to him or her. Naturally, every deity is described as the creator of the universe possessing all divine excellences including omniscience. In the Vedas, however, the term sarvajña or sarvajñatā does not occur but there are many words3 2 denoting the same meaning, e.g. “omniscience”. For them omni science is solely a divine attribute and never a humanone. Then, there are expressio.is such as, Sahasrākşa, 33 Viśvadrastā.34 Visvatocakşuh,35 Viśvacarşaņe36 etc., in which the omniscience suggested, however, is more physical than psychological or spiritual. The power of vision glorified more often than the power of mind. The words paśyati, pratipas yati. mahāpaśyati and sarvampaśyati37 are very much suggestive in this context.
The concept of omniscience in the background of divine worship and practice is also found in the “Stotra” literature
32
3.4;
R.V.X.
33 34 35 36 37
Sarvavit (Atharva Veda, XVII.T.II ), Visvavit (A.V.I.1 91.3), Visvavedas (R.V.1.21.1) Sama Veda, 1.1.3) etc. A.V., IV. 28.3; S.V., III.1.1; Y.V. XXXI.1. A.V., VI. 107.4. R.V., X.81.3 R.V., IX.48.5; A.V., IV. 32.4. A.V., IV. 16.2.