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if the knower is not there, there will be no knowledge whatsoever despite all other factors working. Other factors are said to be secondary. They help the knower in the body to obtain the knowledge about a thing. Thus all the external factors like senses, mind, light and even the matter itself have been taken as secondary, thus disregarding the Nyaya view. The idea of primary and secondary factors of the Jainas in this connection gives an impression of their deeper insight into the process. They have also said that the knowledge can be valid only when the inner knower is there. It could be intrinsically valid. However, the validity of the knowledge could be extrinsic also like that from the a gamic sources or works of the scholars. Proper examples have been given to illustrate this point of view.
Despite this more accute insight about the classification of factors for obtaining the knowledge, it must be pointed out that there are some statements made for refutation of Nyaya view which require elaboration. In refuting the sense-matter point of view, two main points have been raised. Firstly, senses like eyes and mind do not have contact with matter. Secondly, the omniscientist soul has knowledge of past and future besides the present. This cannot be possible with contact point of view. Hence, the omniscientificity, which is an agamic fact, goes against sense-matter contact theory. It has been pointed out that the eye cannot be called to work in the complete obsence of contact with the matter. The contact of eye with matter is caused through the light rays and their straight path. Thus, the working of the eye may not require direct contact with matter but there is definitely an indirect contact without which it will not work like camera. Thus, the eye works with indirect contact or some other different type of contact from the other senses. Thus non-contactablity of the eye should be redifined as to mean an indirect or some sort of contact (as prefix A has both meanings; partial or negative). This will eliminate the discrepancy regarding the working of the eye. This also applies to dark field which is not the absence of light but a light which is beyond the visible range of human beings. This is the light which is in the visible range of some animals like cats and owls. Its details have been discussed elsewhere.
The physical mind may be equated to the brain of the present. This is a power house and store house as well for the nervous and motor activities. It will work bothways, i. e. when sensations are brought to it through senses and when they arise due to mental processes covering past, present and future experiences. Of course, the working of mind in more indirect in comparision to the eye. Sometimes it may be completely indirect.
Some Indian philosophers have postulated the totality of factors--senses, matter, knower--as leading to true knowledge. Jainas have criticised these views on the basis of the fact that though they lead to knowledge, they are not direct factors for it. These views have been dealt with more intellectually rather than factually. Nevertheless, their secondary role in the process has been accepted by the Jaina philosophers.
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