Jaina Perspective in Philosophy and Religion

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

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Jaina Perspective in Philosophy and Religion
Buddha, Mahāvīra and Kapila differ among themselves. I Kumarila has a ground to ask the readers how the Omniscience have different views regarding the same thing ?
Omniscience, literally means, all knowledge or the perfect knowledge. This may apparently look to be a very simple idea but really it involves many problems. Let us discuss a few of them.
All-knowledge is rather a very vague term. We have to see whether this knowledge is to be taken denotatively or connotatively, i. e., whether an omniscient being knows all the objects with all their attributes numerically or through their important characteristics. Then if Omniscience means knowledge of Past, Present and Future, we have to know whether the Omniscience knows past and future as the present or past as past and future as future. In brief, whether Omniscient knowledge is simultaneous or successive, is an important question. Now, let us also discuss, who is an Omniscient ? Whether he is human or divine or both ? We know that there are references both about human and divine Omniscience in our religious and philosophical literature. But then, we have to find out whether the concept of human Omniscience has developed out of the idea of divine Omniscience or Vice Versa ? Even, just to satisfy our sense of history, we have to find out the particular system that has laid the foundation of this idea and it would be more interesting to know the sociocultural causes for the emergence of this idea which is so much talked about in our books. Whether this idea is the product of pure philosophical speculation or a mere religious dogma or both ? It is generally argued that the idea, at first, evolved as a religious dogma but later on logical arguments were also advanced to defend its validity. This view finds its support in the fact that the validity or invalidity of the Vedas formed the main planck of all discussions for and against 1. Tattva-Sarigraha, K. 3148-3149, IT off hát: #fqat afa
का प्रमा । अथो भाषय सर्वज्ञो मतभेदः तयोः कथम् ।