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18
The Sacred Books of the Jainas
According to Umasvāmi, Mati and Śruta are Parokṣa knowledge and Avadhi, Manaḥparyaya and Kevala are Pratyakṣa knowledge. A detailed description of Pratyakṣa and Parokṣa will follow in the present treatise and we shall discuss later on the criticism how Mati and Śruta Jñana described as Parokṣa Pramāņa in the Tattvarthadhigama Sutra, can be called Sanvyavahārika Pratyakṣa in works on Jain Logic.
We shall now deal with the derivation of the word 'Pramāņa' according to the writers of Jain Logic.
It has been laid down by Prabhachandra in Prameyakamalamartanda that the word Pramāņa may be derived in three ways. In the first place, the suffix "Anat" may be held to be used in active voice meaning "That which knows rightly (viz the soul) is Pramāṇa". From the definition of Pramaņa, we learn that Pramāņa is right knowledge of itself and of objects not previously ascertained. This derivation means that just as a lamp illumines itself as well as other objects, the soul knows itself as well as other objects. In the second place the suffix may be used in the sense of instrumentality. The meaning would then be "That by which right knowledge is gained is Pramāņa1. In this case just as light appears when obstructions to it are removed, so right knowledge will come on removal of obstructions to it. In the third derivation there is use of the suffix in Bhava-vachya (passive intransitive
" तत् प्रमाणे । ” "आये परोक्षम् ।”
"" Tattvarthādhigama Sūtra I. 9-12.
1 "अत्र प्रमाणशब्दः कर्त्ता करणभावसाधनो । तत्र... स्वपरप्रमेयस्वरुपं प्र मिमीते यथावज्जानातीति प्रमाणमात्मा... आत्मन एव हि क साधनप्रमाणशब्देनाभिधानं स्वातन्त्र्येन विवक्षितत्वात् स्वपर प्रकाशात्मकस्य प्रदीपादेः प्रकाशाभिघानवत् । साधकतमत्वादिविवक्षायां तु प्रमीयते येन तत् प्रमाणं प्रमितिमात्रं वा प्रतिबंधापाये प्रादुर्भूतविज्ञान पर्यायस्य प्राधान्येनाश्रयणात् प्रदीपादेः प्रभाभारात्मकप्रकाशवत् ।”
Prameyakamalamārtaṇda.
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