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EPISTEMOLOGY OF THE AGAMAS
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defines avagraha as the first cognition of an object as determined by a secondary common characteristic, born of the intuitional cognition following in the wake of sense-object contact and having pure existence as its object.1 Ācārya Hemacandra defines avagraha as 'the cognition of an object, which follows in the wake of indeterminate intuition due to the contact of the sense-organ with the object.'? We thus find that these Jaina thinkers unanimously hold avagraha to be determinate cognition. The Agamic conception of avagraha as indeterminate cognition was not upheld by the Jaina logicians in view of its indefiniteness and lack of pragmatic value. This is apparent from the conception of valid knowledge (pramāna) of the Jaina logicians. This subject, however, is not relevant and so we do not discuss it here.
(b) ihā (Speculation) Ihā (speculation) follows in the wake of avagraha (perception). In avagraha, as we have seen, there is only an indeterminate cognition, or an indistinct awareness of the object. In ihā the object is known distinctly. For instance, in avagraha (perception) a person simply hears a sound while in ihā he cognizes the nature of the sound also.” The indistinct awareness of the avagraha (perception) cognizes only a part of the object while ihā, being a determinate cognition, cognizes the rest and strives or enquires for a particular characteristic. The process of ihā continues for a certain period of time, though it never exceeds one muhūrta." The Nandi Sütra gives these five as the synonyms of ihā: ābhoganatā (leaning towards), mārganatā (searching), gaveşanatā (fathoming), cintā (discursive thought) and vimarśa (enquiry).6 Umāsvāti, however, gives quite different synonyms which are: iha (speculation), üha (reasoning), tarka (reasoning), parīkņā investigation), vicāranā (thinking) and jijñāsā (enquiry).' Pūjyapāda Devanandi defines īhā as 'the striving for a specific characteristic of the object cognized by avagraha (perception).'8 The Avaśyakaniryukti defines ihā as 'speculation (vicāraṇam)'.' Jinabhadra, commenting upon it, says 'Thā means enquiry for the distinctive feature, '10 Vyañjanāvagraha (contact-awareness) is the beginning of awareness,
1 PNT, II. 7.
2 PMi, I. 1. 26. 3 se jahānāmae kei purise avvattam saddam suņijjā tenam saddotti uggahie, no ceva nam jāņai ke vesa saddāi, tao ihaṁ pavisai, tao jäņai amuge esa saddeNSü, 35.
4 Cf. avagrhīte viṣayārthaikadeśāc cheşanugamanam niscayaviseşa-jijñāsā ceştā ihā-TSūBh, I. 15.
5 NSū, 34 : ViBh, 333 (Āvaśyakaniryukti-gäthā). One muhūrta is equal to forty-eight minutes. 8 NSü, 31. 7 TSūBh, I. 15.
8 SSi, I. 15. 9 ViBh, 179 (Niryuktigătha). 10 bheya-magganam ahe 'hă--ViBh, 180.
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