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Direct Knowledge account of the karmic obscurance. It gets its manifestation according to the partial or total removal of the corresponding obscurance. It is divided into the following three stages of (1) Avadhijñāna, (2) Manah paryayajñāna, (3) Kevalajñāna.1
Umāsvātiholds the above three types of knowledge as perception (pratyaksa-pramāna) in contrast to Mati and Sruta which are paroksa on account of their dependence upon the senses and the mind or scriptures. Jinabhadra, Akalarka and the latter logicians have named them as pāramārthika pratyaksa in contrast to the sense cognition named as sāmvyavahārikapratyaksa. The Sthāvāngas classifies the above three types into Vikala (incomplete) and sakala (complete). The first two are Vikala-pratyaksa while the last is sakala-pratyaksa.
Avadbijñāna (clairvoyance)
Avadhijñāna is the supernormal knowledge of material objects. 4 It is known as avadhi, because, its sphere of apprehension is limited.5 It resembles clairvoyance or clair-audience of the modern psychology. But, according to Jainism all cognitions related with Avadbi are produced direct by the soul. The senses do not play any part in them.
There are three characteristics which distinguish avadbi from kevala i.e. omniscience. Firstly, it is limited in the scope of apprehension. It perceives the material objects only. Secondly, it is not constant. It follows attention (upayoga). The kevala is constant, and does not require any attention. Thirdly, its (avadhi) area of objectivity is wider in the lower regions thao in the upper ones. 1. Nandi Sūtra 5. 2. Tattvārtha I. 11-12 3. Stbānāågasūtra 71 4. Tattvārtha I. 28 5. Anuyoga Maladbärt p. 1 6. Malayagiri on Nandi p. 65
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