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Indirect Knowledge
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Śruta Jñāna (Scriptural Knowledge) Sruta-Jñāga comes second in list of the five types of knowledge. It is defined as the knowledge having mati as its cause. Really, it is Mati with prolonged activity.
The root of the conception of śruta as an independent type of knowledge lies in the respect and reliability bestowed on the ancient scriptures. No religious order can stand any longer if it loses its faith in the ancient tradition. Every sect has one or the other book as its pivot around which it revolves and can leave it only at the risk of its own life. The Vedic religions took shelter in the Vedas as the final and infallible authority, in ethical and metaphysical matter. The Christians, Muslims, Jews, Persiaps, Buddhists and all other religions of the world have accepted this or that book as final authority.
Moreover, we construct the building of our future on rocks of the past. The present knowledge gets its material from the past events. If every generation starts its journey of the cultural progress from the very beginning and ignores the past tradition altogether, it cannot make any progress. Our state of the present mental development is a result of the past hundreds and thousand years. We have to give due importance to the past history and its records. Before the advent of logical period the traditional scriptures were given a very high place. Even the thinkers like Sankara have discarded reasoning where it goes against the scriptures.
Three stages
The conception of Śruta as distinct from Mati has passed through three stages. In the first stage Śruta Jñāna meant knowledge derived from the scriptures. It is divided into Angapra. vista and Angabāhya and further subdivisions. The peculiarity of this period is that it confined śruta-jñāna to the Jaina
1. Tattvārtha I. 20, Viseşāvaśyaka Bhasya G. 100 2. Tattvārtha I. 20
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