________________
The General Conception of Knowledge
161
that knowledge and feelings are two different modes of the same soul. They are not identical. Dharmakirti's view is mainly based on the principle that unity of cause must have the unity of effcct. The Jainas regard that this principle does not hold good in all cases. When a jar is broken, the cracking sound and the broken parts are produced simultaneously by the same cause. But, thay are not one and the same thing. - More over, it is wrong to hold that there is no difference in the cause. Feeling is produced from the presence of Vedaniya while knowledge is the result of the removal of Jñānāvaraniya and Darśanavaraniya. No doubt, soul is the common cause in both cases; but that does not constitute the entire causation. There are many other factors involved in it.
Knowledge and feeling differ in their appearance also. Fee:ing appears in the form of pleasure or pain while knowledge appears in form of experience of an object. Feeling is the object of liking or disliking as the case may be; knowledge in its pure state is above from these subjective considerations.
Further, knowledge follows the object. A jar cannot be known as a cloth. In the case of illusion also certain objective qualities play:n important role. But, this is aot the case with feeling. It is not objective, but subjective. Fire produces happiness in a person shivering with cold; but, the same is unpleasant to a person perspiring with scorching beat. It follows that feeling does not depend upon the object but on the experient.
As a matter of fact feeling is the subsequent stage of knowledge. When our body is touched with a hot iron the awareness of heat is not feeling, it is knowledge. At the second stage we feel it unpleasant or pleasant as the case may be. Sometimes we are indifferent. This feeling of pleasantness, unpleasantness or indifference is beyond the scope of knowledge.
1. Astasahasri p. 78
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
