Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 1

Author(s): Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 53

VAISHALI INSTITUTE RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. I
The failure of a plan in practical application disillusions a person and teaches him to exercise vigilance in regard to the choice of ways and means. Failure teaches him that false pre-conceptions are to be avoided and this is the raison d'etre of the adage : Failures are pillars of success'. It is obvious from this consideration that a man with a modicum of common sense is familiar with what is valid knowledge and what is not. The academic procedure of formulation of a definition in a scientific treaties betokens pedantry since it does
give a new insight. This is the sum and substance of the contention of the opponent.
But in spite of the element of truth in the contention it must be pointed out that it fails to take note of persons who have a dull understanding or who are misguided by the erroneous views fostered by philosophers of different schools on account of their uncritical faith in the tradition of the school they belong to. The tradition tends to acquire a character of prescriptive claim for acquiescense. But common sense is not sufficient for the purpose of discrimination of valid cognition from the invalid one. Education serves to clear the common sense from misconception and false notion which make it incapable of the task. Broadly speaking there are two classes of persons who are to be educated with a view to the certitude of valid cognition disentangled from false associations. (1) Professional philosophers who have been misled by wrong instruction of soi-disant experts (tirthya). These deluded persons are victims of the wrong tradition and they must be disabused of the false notions. The Jaina philosopher is motivated by compassion and sets about the task of disillusioning these misguided persons, and set them on the path of truth. The definition is efficacious in that it enables the misguided fellow to distinguish the valid cognition from the invalid one and truth from superstition. (2) There are other persons who have no definite conception at all. Their dull intellect has not been improved by academic discipline and the definition serves to give them a correct notion of validity.
To sum up : if the defining and distinctive character of valid cognition were known from beginningless correct tradition and as such no person should be incapacitated by contrary beliefs, your contention that the statement of the defining character is a redundant procedure would hold the ground. But this is not universally true because there are persons who are victims of wrong tradition or incapacitated by their dull intellect to tell truth from falsehood, valid knowledge from invalid instances. As for the query whether the knowledge of validity