Jaina Epistemology

Author(s): Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Epistemology of Jainas
2. Darśana or Nirākāra Upayoga: Inarticulate cognition or sensation preceding every articulate cognition is known as Darśana. It should be noted here that darśana precedes the sense-perception as well as the supersensuous perception or intuition. In the domain of ethics the term darśana means attitude, where it is known as dṛsti also.
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3. Jñana and Ajñāna: The articulate cognition gets the designation of jñana or ajñāna according to the faith of the knower. But, in the Nandi and the later literature the term jñāna is also used in a general sense. We have used it in a general sense and have prefixed it by samyak (right) or mithya (wrong) to show the distinction.
4. Jñana and Knowledge: One more thing to be noted here is that the term jñāna of the Indian philosophy is generally translated into English as knowledge. But the term knowledge implies the idea of truth in itself. It is always valid. The Jaina Agamas also use this term in the same sense, but in the logical period they are not exactly synonyms. Jñana of the Indian systems is true as well as false. Wrong apprehension also is jñāna. I have followed the traditional path of using the term knowledge in the sense of jñana to cover all its aspects.
The Canonical Approach
Absence of Proper Definition: We do not find any complete definition of knowledge in the Jaina canonical literature. Whenever a question is asked, "What is knowledge' it is answered by enumerating the five types of knowledge.1 Gautama also, in his Nyāyasutra does not define Pramāņa in general; but, goes direct into the divisions. Perhaps, this method was based on the principle that if parts are known the whole would come into light by itself. But it does not mean that the Agamas leave the problem altogether unexplained. We have mentioned in the
1. Bhagavati 8.2.18 2. Nyāyasūtra