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A SOURCE-BOOK IN JAINA PHILOSOPHY
it may be not possible to have knowledge through discursive reasoning as in the case of śrutajñāna, because the karmic encrustations obscuring the śrutajñāna are still operative. This may be interpreted as that unless the mental set is formed and psychic impediments are removed śrutajñāna is not possible.
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In the early agamic literature śrutajñāna has been considered to be knowledge through the scriptures. It is knowledge obtained through the scriptures given by the authorities (Aptapuruşa) and also the knowedge obtained through the words of omniscient. There are two types of śrutajñāna—angapraviṣṭa and angabāhya. Angapraviṣṭa is of 12 types and angabāhya has many types.
Angapravista śrutjañana may be referred to as knowledge obtained through the scriptures given to us in a codified form by the ganadharas of tīrthankara. Tirthankaras have taught the doctrines. This is arthaśruta. While the garṇadharas have codified and presented in the form of sastras. This is arthaśruti. Due to the deduction in age and the ability to grasp, the acaryas in a later stage, wrote books explaining the knowledge contained in the āgamas on various subjects. This is angabahyaśruta. In this, original meaning was given by the Tirthankaras. This is angapravista. Later the meanings are elaborated by the elder ācāryas it is called Angabahya. The angabāhya literature has various divisions like kālika and utkälika etc. The detailed description about this have been given in our work entitled Jaina Sahitya aur Samskṛti. The śrutajñāna is primarily concerned with knowledge and the literature is called śruta because it gives knowledge. Acārya Bhadrabahu has stated that there are various distinctions in the śrutajñāna based on the words and their permutations. It is not possible to give the elaborate description of the permutations of the words. However, we can mention 14 types of śrutajñāna: (1) akşara (2) anakşara, (3) saṁ jñī, (4) asaṁjñī, (5) samyak, (6) mithya, (7) sādika, (8) anādika, (9) saparyavasita, (10) aparyavasita, (11) gamika, (12) agamika, (13) angapravişṭa and (14) angabāhya.
1 Tattvärthasūtra 1, 20
2 Agama Sahitya: ek Paryavekṣaṇa, p. 1-54, Pub. Bharatiya Vidya Prakasan, Varanasi-1.
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