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SUPERNORMAL PERCEPTION
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specially beginning with Gangesa, the distinction between normal and supernormal perception has been recognized. However, in alaukika pratyaksa the objects are not actually present to the senses, but are conveyed to it through an extraordinary medium. There is, in this, a special sense object contact, alaukika sannikarşa.3 There are three types of supernormal perception, (i) sāmānya laksana, in which we perceive the generality in the individual members of a class, for instance, we perceive the universal potness in the perception of individual pots. (ii) jñānalaksana, in which we perceive an object which is in contact with the senses, through previous knowledge of itself, for example, when we see a piece of sandalwood there is also a perception of fragrance. This may be compared to what Stout, Ward and Wundt call 'complication'.4 But it would be difficult to call such forms of perception supernormal. In fact, some psychologists would say it is a kind of implicit inference, although Stout, Ward and Wundt would think of it as a form of perception. However, such perception does not involve anything supernormal. (iii) yogaja pratyakşa, intuitive apprehension of objects, past, future and distant, through some supernormal powers generated in the mind by spiritual concentration. For those who have attained spiritual perfection such perception is constant and spontaneous. In the case of others who are yet to reach perfection, it requires concentration or dhyāna, as a condition. Chatterjee says that we may mention, as cases in point, the theological ideas of eternity and omniscience or intuition in the philosophy of Spinoza and Schelling. Yogaja pratyakşa has a great bearing on the phenomena of extra-sensory perception like Clairvoyance, Telepathy and Pre-cognition. However, yogaja pratykşa may be called supernormal perception. Jayanta describes the nature of yogic perception. The yogi can perceive a past, future, distant or subtle object. He can perceive even dharma. Jayanta Bhatta says that a yogi perceives all objects in a single intuition. Similarly, Bhāsarvajñā defines yogic perception as direct and immediate apprehension of objects which are distant or past, future or subtle.7 Prasastapāda divides yogic perception into two types, (i) yukta pratyakşa, in which we get perception in ecstasy, and (ii) viyukta pratyakşa, which implies perception of those who have fallen off from ecstasy. Bhāsarvajña also makes a similar distinction. Those who are in a state of ecstasy can perceive their own selves, the selves of others, ākāśa, time, atoms and manas. Those who have fallen off from ecstasy can perceive subtle, hidden or remote things through the contact of the self, (manas), and senseorgans, with the object by means of a peculiar power due to
3 Chatterjee (S. C.): The Nyāya Theory of Knowledge, Ch. IX, p. 209. 4 Ibid. p. 220. 5 Ibid. p. 227.-Yogābhyāsajanito dharmaviseșah. 6 Nyāyamañjari, p. 107. 7 Nyāyasāra, p. 3.
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