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General Conception of Knowledge
According to Jainism the knowledge of every being except that of the omniscience is alloyed with passions and other karmic effects; which disfigure or colour the vision like the coloured glasses. They do not allow the object to appear in its own context. This disfiguring sometimes amounts to a very high degree and we call it illusion. When the degree is not so high we consider it valid cognition. The difference between the two is that of degree and not quality. The cognition of a layman is valid to certain degree only. Nothing is absolutely valid or invalid. Even the appearance of the moon as two or with smaller size is valid as far as the existence of the moon is concerned. It is wrong in respect of the number and size which are not related with the object. It is caused by the external causes such as the displacement of the eyeball or distance.
Dream is nothing but the memory revived. Its material is supplied by the past experience. On account of sleep (nidra) a variety of Darśanavaraṇlya, the memory does not appear in its own characteristic. Mohantya disfigures it through the forces of hatred, desire, passion, etc. and makes it appear in a queer form. We call the dream an illusion or invalid cognition because, the memory is so disfigured that it loses its ownself and the karmic effect comes into foreground. In the waking state also, when darkness, inner fear and such other factors pollute the vision, the rope appears as a snake. The difference between knowledge and the disfigurement is this, that the former is the result of the removal of karmic obscurance while the later results from the karmic rise (udaya). The first depends upon the object while latter on the subject.
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Thus, the Jaina does not discard the subjective element altogether, but holds that it is not knowledge. We have already stated that feeling and willing, the psychical functions other than knowledge, are no doubt, subjective. But, as far as knowledge is concerned, it has nothing which is not given. We can further clarify this point by comparing it with a mirror. The mirror does not reflect anything which does not exist externally. But
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