Jaina Concept of Omniscience

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

Page 58

CONCLUDING REMARKS
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Pāṇini's suggestion is more comprehensive when he says that those who believe in the existence of the other world are astika. According to this scheme, except the Cārvākas, all others will be regarded as āstika. The belief in the other world is vitally connected with the doctrine of karma. Therefore, the aim of this classification is to emphasise the importance of the law of karma, which is accepted by all systems of Indian philosophy except the Cārvākas.
Haribhadra makes a modification in Panini's scheme. According to Haribhadra nāstika is he who does not believe in the existence of soul (besides Moksa, merit, demerit, virtue, vice and the other world ).88 Even 'according to this scheme, only the Lokāyata system is nästika. The case of the Buddhists is a little doubtful since although they do not believe in the existence of a permanent soul-substance, but they recognise the mechanism of the Pañca-Skandhas and also believe in merit, demerit etc.
Now, with the following, an attempt will be made to classify Indian systems according to their belief or disbelief in omniscience.
First, all the theistic systems believe in the existence of omniscience of some form or other, e.g. the Nyāya-Vaišesika and the Yoga. Put negatively, we can say that all non-believers in omniscience namely, the Lokāyatas, the Indian Sceptics and the Agnostics and the Mimāmsakas, are also non-believers in God. Secondly, the converse of the above rule is however not true because not all believers in omniscience are theists, e.g., the Buddhists, Jainas, Sārkhyas and Advaitins. Negatively, all non-believers in God are not necessarily the non-believers in omniscience. This shows that the category of omniscience is wider than that of the category of belief in God. Thirdly, we know that with the exception of the Mimāṁsakas, all
68 Haribhadra, Sadılarśana Samuccaya, (with Gunaratna's Comm.
Tarka-Rahasya Dipika ), ed. Luigi Suali ( Calcutta, 1905), Verse 80 p. 300.