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Significance of Śrutajñāna
is called as śruta or dravyaśruta and when its meaning or message is experienced by someone, then it is called śrutajñāna or bhāvaaśruta. One more interesting point is that śruti is not considered in every living being as an essential element, whereas śrutajñāna is essentially accepted in every living being. It is another thing that due to perverted attitude it may be śruta-ajñāna. Matijñāna precedes Śrutajñāna
It has been accepted that śrutajñāna takes place after matijñāna. In the Tattvärthasūtra, its commentaries and in the Viseṣāvasyakabhāṣya, it has been propounded that śrutajñāna takes place after matijñāna. Matijñāna has been considered as an efficient cause of śrutajñāna. Here, a question has been raised by Pūjyapāda Devanandin in his Sarvārthasiddhi that if śruta is manifested after matijñāna then it should also be mati, because 'kāraṇasadṛśam hi loke karyam dṛṣtam', an effect comes out similar to its cause, but in the view of Pujyapāda Devanandi it is not always true, for instance stick (danda) is an instrumental cause for making an earthen pot but the stick (danda) does not turn into a pot. Similarly, matijñāna is not converted into śrutajñāna, but it becomes instrumental cause for producing śrutajñāna. Even in the presence of matijñāna, śrutajñāna may not appear due to effect of śrutajñānavaraṇa Karma. Subsidence-cum-destruction of śrutajñānāvaraṇa karma is also essential for the manifestation of śrutajñāna.“
(i) Tattvärthasūtra: 1.20- śrutam matipūrvam dyanekadvādaśabhedam: (ii) Viseṣāvasyakabhāṣya, verse 105: maipuvvam suyam uttam "Sarvārthasiddhi, p. 85
