Jaina Perspective in Philosophy and Religion

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

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Jaina Perspective in Philosophy and Religion
pattern of Vidyānandil successfully counteract all these arguments and shows that none of these six Pramăņas go against omniscience. Even Abhāva must prove it, since all of them implies some reality as their objects. Besides these epistemological objections the Jainas anticipate some other objections and try to meet them. Regarding the objection that the Arhat is not omniscient because he is a speaker like some vagabond, it is said “there is no contradiction between the speakership and the omniscience. With the perfection of knowledge, verbal skill is also perfected.3 However it may be retorted that Vitarāga Omniscience can not speak for speech is related with desire to speak, and a Vitaraga Omniscient is devoid of any desires. But as a matter of fact, this argument is fallacious. There is no relation between the two. An intelligent person even if he has desire, may not explain the Sástras and during swoon and dreams, where there is absence of desires, people are seen talking and uttering something.* Similarly, when it is said that the proof of the omniscience follows from the final consumation of the progressive development of cognitions, the Mimấmsakas object to it and say that there must be a limit of all progress like that in any human activity. The Jainas reply that physical progress is different from mental progress, 6 Knowledge is limitless and infinite. When the soul shines in full splendour it attains omniscience. To the objection that if an omniscient knows all the objects of the universe at one instant, nothing remains to be cognised by him in the next moment, hence the 1. Apta-Parikşí, pp. 206-229 ( Hindi translation Vir Seva
Mandir Trust Prakashan ). 2. Apta-Mimámsá, Kárikā 98-108. 3. Syadváda Siddhi, VIII. 3. 4. Ibid, VIII. 4 and VIII. 5. 5. Pramāņa Mimāṁsā, l. 1. 16. 6. Jaina Darsana ( Hindi, Mahendra K. Acharya, Varanasi ),
p. 311. 7, Tattvẫrtha-Sutra, X. 1; Sthânãiiga-Sutra, 226.