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102
Jaina-Tarka-Bhāşa
the ascending age and in the end of the fifth time-period of the descending age. It has neither a beginning nor an end in the Mahāvideha, where there is no distinction of ascending or descending age and where it exists in all times.
From the point of view of essence, it has a beginning and end with reference to the teacher or the scripture, responsible for its creation. It has no beginning and no end as far as destruction-cum-subsidence of veil of knowledgeobstructing karman is concerned, because it is always there in a smaller or greater degree.
It would be observed that in the above description, Sruta has stood for right knowledge and not verbal knowledge in general, but in the last case while showing the beginningless and endless variety psychically, śruta stands for verbal knowledge in general.
It may also be mentioned that except the varieties of alphabetical and non-alphabetical and the varieties of included in-the-main-scriptures and excluded-from the-main-scriptures, the other varieties are mentioned only in the Svetämbara tradition and not in the Digambar a tradition..
P. 7 L.24. rasovijaya has mentioned only three varieties of clairvoyance, whereas the Jaina scriptures generally give many more varieties and sub-varieties. At the outset, clairvoyance can be due to birth (bhava-pratyaya) or due to merit (guna-pratyaya). Denizens of heaven and hell are possessed of clairvoyance from their very birth. The clairvoyance of human and sub-human beings, however, is due to special merit.
Another classification of clairvoyance is from the point of view of its subject. It may, in its lowest stage of the lower form (deśāvadhi), extend to a small fraction of an angula (a small measure) and may know the things having form, within that space. It may penetrate only a small fraction of an avalika (a small measure of time) and may know infinite number of modes. The highest stage of the lower form knows ail the loka (the universe inhabited by living beings), penetrates into balva (a large measure of time) lesser by a samaya (the smallest fraction of time) and knows the innumerable modes.
The highest type of clairvoyance (sarvāvadhi) knows all the things having form in space of the size of countless number
