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JAINA THEORY OF PAROKSA-JNANA
Dr. Gour Hajra, Visva-Bharati
It is truly necessary to know what is pratyakşa or an immediate knowledge before going to discussion on mediate knowledge or a Proksajñāna. Umāsvāti makes it clear that knowledge which depends exclusively upon ātman alone is pratyakşa, while that which depends upon senseorgans and manas is parokşa, of course, even in the case of parokşa-jñāna, the instrumentality of Ātman is also accepted.
Knowledge derived through the sense-organs and manas was thus considered parokşa-jñāna by Jaina Philosopher and this was directly against the views held by the other schools of Indian Philosophy, which generally held the views that the sense-organs give us immediate knowledge (Pratyakşa-jñāna) whereas all the other 'sources' lead to only mediate knowledge.
But if we observe the stages of evolution in the Jaina canons, we find there are three stages. Among these three stages, third stage was influenced by the general tendency of Indian Philosophy that regards sensory knowledge as direct. (on this stage sensory knowledge has been placed in both categories, viz. direct and indirect. The sensory knowledge is direct in vyavahāra or practice or in the secondary sense).
Thus, according to early Jaina Philosophers, the knowledge which is derived from the self is pratyakşa and knowledge which does not arise from the self alone is called parokşa. But the later Jaina Philosophers came to accept the knowledge produced by the sense-organs also as pratyakşa. According to later Jaina logicians perception is the knowledge obtained through the operation of sense-organs and the manas. Hemacandra defines 'Visadam Pratyakşa as clear knowledge. Clarity is its special quality. Akalanka also held this definition,
Now, we come to our specific discussion on the Jaina theory of mediate or non-perceptual knowledge. Non-perceptual is that which is not clear. The Jaina logician Akalarka says 'avisadam parokşam'. It is indistinct, unlike pratyaksa, dependent on others. It is devoid of
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