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The Jaina world of Non-living
2. Q. There is no difference between the innumerable and infinite because they have similarity in being quantitatively immeasurable or uncountable. A. This is not correct. Their difference has already been detailed in 3.38 which indicates that infinity is a larger number than the innumerable
one.
3. Q. If it is infinite, it may not be cognisable A. It is cognisable by persons (or omniscients) having supra-sensual or superior knowledge. Q. If the omniscients cognise the infinity, its infiniteness is lost. If they do not cognise it, their omniscience is lost A. This logic is not reasonable. The omniscients have destructional knowledge which is supra-sensual and infinite-times-infinite. They directly cognise the infinity in terms of infinity itself. The others learn about it through their instructions and inference. Thus, there is no loss of the concept of omniscience. It is not logical to presume that because the infinity is known and, hence, it could become finite. The omniscient cognises the infinity in terms of infinity only. 4. Moreover, most of the philosophical systems agree to the concept of infinity and omniscience. The Buddhists state that there are infinite elementary substances. The Vaiseșikas postulate that the realities of direction, time and space are infinite because they are all-prevasive. The Sānkhyas maintain that their two elements- the primordial Nature and Soul (Puresa) are infinite because of their pervasiveness. All these cannot be said to be non-cognisable because of their infinity. They can also not be assumed to be finite as they are cognisable. Hence, it is not correct to say that an entity could be non-cognisable because of its infinity. 5. Secondly, the concept of non-cognisability due to infinity of entities will lead to the loss of concept of omniscience. There will be nobody to know the infinite objects. If objects are assumed to be finite, there will be possibility of loss of salvation and the world. Q. How is it so? A. If the living objects are presumed to be finite, there will be no world when all the living beings are salvated. If to avoid this, one
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