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Study of Jainism
Omniscience intuits all substances with all their modes. Nothing remains unknown in omniscience. There is nothing to be known and nothing is unknown. It is the perfect manifestation of the pure and perfect soul, when the obstructive and obscuring veils of karma are removed. The omniscience is co-existent with the supreme state of the absolute purity of the life monad
Some distinctions have been made in the nature of omniscience as kēvala jñana. It is said that kēvala jñana is of two types : 1) Bhavastha, the omniscience of the liberated who still live in the world For example the omniscience of the Tirthankaras is of this type. 2) Siddha it refers to the omniscience of the liberated soul who no longer remains in this world. There are sub-divisions of the two, as for example the bhavastha may be sub-divided into sayogi and a yogi. Sayogi refers to the omniscience of the tirthankara while still preaching in this world. But when his body is cast off, his omniscience is Ayogi kēvalajadna. Similarly, the siddha omniscience is of two types as anantara and parampara with their sub-divisions. 76
"It is not possible to establish the possibility of omniscience on the basis of the methods of investigation which psychology and the empirical science follow." However, its logical possibility cannot be denied. Progressive realization of greater and subtler degrees of knowledge by the individual is accepted by some psychologists, especially since the introduction of Psychical
esearch for analysing the phenomena of extra-sensory perception. A consumation of this progressive realization would logically be pure knowledge and omniscience, a single all embracing intuition.??
REFERENCES
1. Tattvarthasūtra, 1. 2. Ratrakarandaka Sravakacara, 11-18. 3. Mathew ; The Holy Bible, 5-6. 4. Ratnakarandaka Sravakacara, 25-26.
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