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TL
"Vyañjana'
667 This line contains Mammata's reason why visista-laksanā can not be admitted. It enunciates a general rule or proposition and thereby it is suggested that if viśistalaksaņā were accepted, this proposition would be violated. Therefore, viśistalaksanā should not be admitted.
Before we proceed to see what this general proposition is, certain other matters must be explained.
'jñāna' in the kārikā stands for 'pramāņa'. So, when 'jñānasya' is paraphrased by 'pratyaksā"deḥ, ādi refers to anumāna, upamāna and sabda. Note - 'tāni ca pramāṇāni catvāri. tathā ca nyāyasūtram. pratyakşánumānópamāna-sabdāḥ pramāṇāni. iti' Tarkabhāṣā, section 14. We are here not concerned with pratyakşa, anumāna and upamāna, but only with sabda. For, when we understand from 'gangāyām ghosah' the sense of the hamlet situated on the bank of the Ganges, which (bank) is characterized by the properties, holiness and others, it is really a case of 'āpta-vākya’. For, there is no question here of our going to the Ganges and seeing with our own eyes the hamlet on its bank. Mammata, however, illustrates the general proposition, which is applicable to all the four pramāņas, by adducing an example of pratyakşa.
When we cognize a blue thing such as a ‘nīla-kamala', we obtain 'nīla-vastujñāna'. The fruit of this cognition can be viewed from two points of view, viz. objective and subjective. Objectively the fruit of the cognition is that the blue thing that we have cognized has obtained 'jñātatā' or 'known-ness' or 'prakațatā' or manifestness. It now differs from other blue things, because while it possesses 'jñātatā' the others do not, i.e. while it is known, the others are not. Jñātatā or prakațatā, which is thus produced in a thing, when it is known, is a vastu-darma. This is the view of the Bhātta-Mimāmakas or the followers of Kumārila Bhatta. Read - "ghatā"di-visaye jñāne jāte 'mayā jñātóyam ghataḥ' iti ghațasya jñātatā nāma kaścid dharmo jātaḥ iti anumīyate. sa ca jñānāt pūrvam a-jātatvāt jñāne jāte ca jñātatvāt, anvaya-vyatirekābhyām jñānena janyate iti avadhāryate.” - Tarkabhasā, Section 42.
Subjectively, the fruit of the above cognition is the consciousness in the form, "aham nīla-vastu jānāmi”, that arises in us when we cognise the blue thing. It is this consciousness in us that distinguishes the known blue thing from others that are not known. Mammata distinguishes this consciousness by the term 'samvittih' or self-consciousness. It is termed 'anu-vyavasāyah' or after-operation or after
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