Jaina Literature and Philosophy a Critical Approach

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 41

Historical Development of Jaina Philosophy and Religion
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concept of Pramānas on the base of five-fold knowledge of Jaina Āgamas. According to Nyāya- śāstra, the cognition originated from Mind (mānasa- janya jñāna) is of two types — Pratyaksa and Parokşa. The knowledge originated from mind which experiences pleasure and pain, is Direct knowledge (pratyakşa) whereas the inference (anumāna ) and comparison (upamāna ) are Indirect forms of know- ledge (paroksa ). So having considered sensory-per- ception of Matijñāna as Sāmvyāvahārika Pratyakşa (perception according to common usage ), cognition based on intellect ( Bauddhika Jñāna ) as inference ( anumāna ) and verbal testimony Śrutajñāna ) as Agama pramâna. Jainas synthesized the conception of five-fold knowledge with the Pramānaśāstra of the other schools of Indian philosophy. In Anuyogadvārasutra, Pratyakṣa is divided in two heads, i. e., (1) perception originated from sense-organs (indriya- janya ) and (2) perception originated from quasisense-organs (no-indriya ). Quasi-sense originated perception included avadhi, manah-paryaya and kevalajñāna. This concept of knowledge carries the same meaning as the one, conveyed by the transcendental knowledge in other philosophical traditions. The distinction between ordinary perception (Laukika Pratyakşa ) and Transcendental perception (Alaukika Pratyakşa ) of Vaiseșikas is accepted by the Jainas under the name of Sāṁvyāvahārika and Päramärthika Pratyaksa and was synthesized later on with their conception of five-fold knowledge (pañcajñānavāda).
). According to Pt. Dalasukha Malvania the Āgamic period (c. 5th A. D. ) has no trace of any independent discussion over Pramāņa. Till that period Jainācāryas have collected the opinions of other philo- sophical schools in their treatises. In the correspon- ding period a number of traditions on the types of Pramāṇa were prevalent. Jaina Agamas refer tradi- tions of three and four types of Pramānas. The mention of three types of Pramānas — Pratyaksa
(perception ), Anumāna ( inference ) and Agama (verbal testimony ), refers to the old Sankhya System. While mention of four pramāṇas including Upamāna (comparison ) belongs to Naiyāyikas. It clearly shows that by the end of c. 5th A. D. the concept of Pramāna as an independent concept was not developed in Jainism. The first work which elaborately deals with the Pramānaśāstra is Siddhasena's Nyāyāvatāra. The period of Siddhasena Divākara is fixed as c. 4th-5th A.D. Nyāyāvatāra mentions three Āgamic divisions of Pramāņa, i.e., perception, inference and verbal testimony (Agama ). Though Siddhasena has expressed briefly the Jaina opinion on the Nyāya-śāstra of Sankhya and Nyaya but he has followed mostly the old tradition, accepted by Jaina Agamas. At some places he has only revised the definitions of Pramāna of other schools on the basis of Jaina theory of Nonabsolutism (Anekantavāda ).
Nyāyāvatāra clearly follows the Agamic tradition, as far as the description of Pramāņa is concerned. It, no where, mentions the later developed concept of Smrti (memory ), Pratyabhijña (recognition) and Tarka ( indirect proof : tarka is not by itself, a source of valid knowledge, though it is valuable in suggesting hypothesis which leads indirectly to right knowledge ) as Pramāņa. This proves that Nyāyavatāra is undoubtedly an ancient text compiled by Siddhasena Divākara. After Nyāyāvatāra, the literary works which discuss the concept of Pramāņa are Pujyapāda's Sarvārthasiddhi ( c. 6th A. D. ) of Digambara tradition, Siddhasenagani's commentary on Tattvārtha-bhāsya (c. 7th A. D.) and Haribhadra's Anekāntajayapatākā (c. 8th A. D. ) of Svetāmbara tradition. In these works there is no trace of Pramāņa like Smrti etc. This concept is discussed for the first time in the works of Akalanka ( c. 8th A. D.) and Siddharşi's commentary on Nyāyāvatāra (c. 9th A. D.) of Digambara and Svetāmbara traditions, respectively. The independent development of Jaina Nyāya