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JAINA THEORY OF COMPREHENSION
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arises just after the sense-object-contact, is the province of apprehension (darsana). According to them, this stage of cognition also constitutes a kind of comprehension. In other words, accoding to their treatment, apprehension itself is a form of comprehension that arises immediately after senseobject-contact. Non-verbal comprehension is generally divided into four kinds : sensation (avagraha), speculation (iha), perception (avaya), and retention (dharana).
SENSATION :
Umasvati defines sensation as the implicit awareness of their respective objects by the senses. According to him, receiving, holding, prehending etc., are the synonyms of sensation. In the Avasyaka-niryukti sensation is defined as the awareness of sense-data. It has no explicit reference to the specific characters of its object. Mere awareness of an object without any distinction is the proper province of sensation. This view cannot be defended, since from our previous discussion it is clear that comprehension (jnana) is always determinate and distinct, whereas apprehension (darsana) is never of this character. Now, how can sensation which is indeterminate, be a kind of comprehension which is always determinate? Siddhasena in his Sanmati-tarka-prakarana remarks that the same cognition in its lengthy process is named two-fold. At its preliminary stage when the object is indistinctly apprehended, it is called apprehension and at its latter stage owing to the distinct awareness of the object, it is called comprehension. The primary stage of cognition, viz.,
