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Tattvārthasūtra
Scriptural knowledge (śrutajñāna) is the province of the mind (mana).
The object of scriptural knowledge (śrutajñāna) is the 'śruta' – the knowledge in comprehensible form or the Scripture. It is the province of the mind (mana). With the help of the mind (mana), the soul (jīva) with destruction-cum-subsidence (kşayopaśama) of scripturalknowledge-obscuring (śrutajñānāvaraṇīya) karma, engages in attainment of the knowledge contained in the Scripture. Or, scriptural knowledge is the Scripture. It is the object of the mind. The mind is capable of accomplishing it independently, without the help of the senses. The senses are the instrumental cause of scriptural knowledge by convention (paramparā) only.
The objects of the senses have been explained. Who possess these senses? The possessor of the sense of touch is ascertained first.
वनस्पत्यन्तानामेकम् ॥२२॥
[वनस्पति अन्तानाम् ] वनस्पतिकाय जिसके अन्त में है ऐसे जीवों के अर्थात् पृथिवीकायिक, जलकायिक, अग्निकायिक, वायुकायिक और वनस्पतिकायिक जीवों के [एकम् ] एक स्पर्शन इन्द्रिय ही होती है।
The souls (jīva) up to the plant-bodied (vanaspatikāyika) possess only the first sense.
The word ‘eka’in the sūtra means the first. What is it? It is the sense of touch (sparśana). By whom is it possessed? It is possessed by souls from the earth-bodied (prthivīkāyika) to the plant-bodied (vanaspatikāyika). The cause of its origin is now mentioned. The one sense of touch arises on the destruction-cum-subsidence (kşayopaśama) of
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