Book Title: Sramana 2001 01
Author(s): Shivprasad
Publisher: Parshvanath Vidhyashram Varanasi

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Page 142
________________ In due course, however, the age of the intuitive knowledge represented by the Upanishads gave place to the age of rational knowledge. The inspired Scripture made room for metaphysical philosophy, even as afterwards metaphysical philosophy gave place to experimental science. The Vedantic psychology itself had recognised the role of Reason and determined its place as something intermediate between the physical senses and supra-rational Intuition. This psychology did not condemn Reason but recognised only its limitations. The development of the Reason by a process of continuous questioning, pari prashnena.was emphasised, but it also laid down the processes of Yogic methods by which intellect could be brought to a state of concentration on the real or supreme object of knowledge, so that, in a state of complete impartiality and absence of any subjective interference, the object of knowledge can be directly perceived, sākshātkāra. The Kathopanishad gives us in the following verses the interrelationship between senses, mind, intellect and the real Self, the great Object of knowledge: "Now he that is without knowledge, with his mind ever unapplied, his senses are to him as wild horses and will not obey their driver of the chariot. 136 "But he that has knowledge with his mind ever applied, his senses are to him as noble steeds and they obey the driver. "Yea, he that is without knowledge and is unmindful and is ever unclean, reaches not that goal, but wanders in the cycle of phenomena.... "That man who uses the mind for reins and the knowledge for the driver, reaches the end of his road, the highest seat of Vishnu. "Than the senses the objects of sense are higher: and higher than the objects of sense is the Mind: and higher than the Mind is the faculty of knowledge: and than' that the Great-Self is higher. "And higher than the Great-Self is the Unmanifest and higher than the Unmanifested is the Purusha: than the Purusha there is none higher: He is the culmination, He is the highest goal of the journey."3 3. Kathopanishad, First Cycle, Third Chapter, 5,6,7,9,10,11. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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