Jaina Perspective in Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Ramjee Singh
Publisher: Parshwanath Shodhpith Varanasi

Page 28

Jajna Agamas and Indian Culture
19 regarded as impersonal, constitute the highest authority of religion. In the tradition of the śramanic culture of Buddhism and Jainism, the authority of scriptures rests with their prophets, who are supposed to be Omniscient as well above all desires and aversions. In the Jaina tradition, the validity of the scripture is accorded at par with direct perception? since the scriptural knowledge is knowledge gained by the Omniscient being, who has directly perceived the reality. Thus scriptural knowledge is also definite and indubious like the omniscient knowledge. This is admitted by Samantabhadra in his Apta Mimāṁsās. It should also be noted that the knowledge and practice of Scriptures (Āgamas ) also leads to the attainment of Kevala-jñāna, so as to the knower of the Śrutas are called Śrutakevalin. Anybody and everybody cannot be Śruta. In order to be a śruta, he must fulfil the conditions of becoming desireless ( Vitaraga ) and he must destroy the Karmas which obscure the real nature of Śruta.3 Only then, such a Scriptural knowledge serves like the bliss. 4
According to the Vedic tradition, the Vedas manifest their own validity. Words used by us, according to them, denote things that can be cognised by other means of knowledge, and, if we cannot know them through other means, then those who utter them must be of unquestionable authority. So non-Vedic utterances cannot possess any inherent validity. According to Prabhakara, such non-Verbal knowledge is of the nature of inference because only the verbal cognition of the Vedas is strictly verbal.6 The Vedic thinkers adopt the doctrine of impersonate authorship perhaps to
1. Gommațasāra ( Jiva-Kapda), Gatha 368; Tattvārtha-śloka
Varttika, I. 9. 20. 2. Apta-Mimāṁsā, Sloka 105. 3. Tattvartha-śloka-Varttika, I. 20. 2. 4. Kunda-kunda, Darśan pähuda, Gatha, 17. 5. Pärthasarathi Misra, Sastra-dipika, p. 53. 6. Śilăuka, Prakarapa-Pañcika, p. 83.