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Properties of Matter in Jaina Canons : (173)
the methods being the same, there should not be much difference between the two except in some minor or finer details.
Factors or means for obtaining Knowledge
Of all the stages described above, the first stage is of prime importance. It requires that there should at least be two factors for the process of knowing about a material thing. These are the senses and the matter itself, which is to be known about. To make a preliminary contact between the two, factors like light should also be there. The senses include mind also. Both of these have two varieties; physical and psychical. The contact occurs between physical senses and the matter in the first instance. This encourages the psychical sense of transfer the first information to the brain for cognition. The Nyāya philosophy has accepted this commonsense view of obtaining the knowledge. According to it, knowledge is obtained due to all the intrinsic and extrinsic factors and contact between senses and matter. But the Jainas have distinctly divided these factors in two categories. The primary factor is the knower or soul himself as 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's 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 Agamic sources or works of the scholars. Proper examples have been given to illustrate this point of view.
Despite this more acute insight about the classification of factors for obtaining the knowledge, it must be pointed out that there are some statements made for refutation of Nyāya's 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 omniscient 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
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