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JAINA PHILOSOPHY : AN INTRODUCTION
'Observation' means the knowledge of existence of the major term (sādhya) on the existence of the middle term (linga). 'Non-observation' stands for the knowledge of nonexistence of the middle term where there is no major term.
Now, it should not be maintained that such knowledge of universal concomitance is derived exclusively from perceptual cognition. It is beyond the capacity of perception to derive the knowledge of universal concomitance, since our empirical perception is limited, whereas the knowledge of universal concomitance is unlimited. In other words, perception is not discursive and owes its genesis to the influence exerted by a datum that is present in a limited sense.
Nor can it be maintained that such knowledge is obtained by inference, since inference itself is not possible in the absence of universal concomitance. In other words, the knowledge of universal concomitance has been apprehended as an antecedent condition of inference. Such being the case, how is it possible that the knowledge of universal concomitance, i.e., inductive reasoning can be obtained by inference ? It follows, therefore, that reasoning is a separate means of knowledge which serves to give knowledge of universal concomitance which is not apprehended by any other recognised means. It is known as tarka or üha.
Now, what is universal concomitance ? Hemacandra defines it in the following terms : 'Universal concomitance consists in the 'occurrence necessarily' of the determinant concomitant (major term - vyāpaka) on the occurrence of the determinate concomitant (middle term - vyāpya), or the occurrence of the determinate concomitant 'exclusively in the locus' where the major term occurs."
The uniform characteristic of both the middle and major terms has been regarded as follows : The major necessarily
1. Vyāptirvyāpakasya vyāpye sati bhäva eva, vyäpyas ya vă tatraiva
bhāvah - Pramāna-mīmāmsā, I. 2. 6.
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