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8. PHILOSOPHICAL DOCTRINES
213
sage Kanāda in Benares; and Śiva, in the form of an owl, exhorted him to communicate the divine revelation to the Brahmanas.1 Somadeva does not mention the source of his story, but it seems to be a variation of the popular legend that Śiva, assuming the shape of an owl (uluka), communicated the Vaiseṣika philosophy to Kanada, whence the name Aulükya given to that system. The crucial point, however, is that even the highest truths can be known by one's own efforts without instruction by a teacher; it is therefore futile to foist an imaginary preceptor upon the Jaina Tirthakaras. As regards their number, there is nothing abnormal about it, since there are many things in the world of which a considerable number is known to exist, for instance, lunar days, stars, planets, oceans, mountains and the rest.
It may be noted that the controversy between the Saivas and the Jainas on the subject of omniscience is at the bottom a contest between two rival conceptions, the S'aivas reserving the term sarvajña omniscient' for Śiva and the Jainas doing the same for each one of their Tirthakaras. The Jaina standpoint will be clear from their definition of Apta.* As regards Śiva, he is consistently called sarvajña in Saiva texts, and omniscience is one of the five saktes attributed to him."
The Jainas attack also the doctrine of Śiva and Sakti, to which prominence is given in Saiva works. Somadeva attempts to prove that the relationship between Śiva and Sakti is a fiction, because the supposed connection can be described neither as samyoga 'conjunction' nor as samavāya 'inherence'. He points out that, according to the Yauga doctrine, that is, the Nyaya theory, samyoga or conjunction is possible only between two substances; but sakti or potency is not a substance, hence there can be no samyoga between Śiva and Sakti. Nor can samavaya or inherence be supposed to be the basis of relationship between Siva and Sakti. According to the Vaiseṣika theory, samavāya or inherence is the permanent relation between two things which are not known to exist separately, for example, a quality and the qualified. Sakti is, however, known to exist and operate
1 'कथमन्यथा स्वत एव संजातपट्पदार्थावसायप्रसरे कणचरे वाराणस्यां महेश्वरस्योलूक सायुज्यसरस्येदं वचः संगच्छेत - ब्रह्मतुला नामेदं दिवौकसां दिव्यमद्भुतं ज्ञानं प्रादुर्भूतमिह त्वयि तद्वत्स विधत्स्व विप्रेभ्य: ।' Vol. II, p. 277. 2 Cf. Naisadhacarita 22. 36 ( औलूकमाहुः खलु दर्शनं तत् ).
3 नियतं न बहुत्वं चेत् कथमेते तथाविधाः । तिथिताराग्रहाम्भोधिभूभृत्प्रभृतयो मताः ॥ P. 277.
4 See Chap. X.
5 Cf. Sutasamhitā: Yajñavaibhavakhaṇḍa 22.6; Śivamāhātmyakhaṇḍa 2.7; Muktikhanda
2.10.
6 सर्वकर्तृत्व रूपा च सर्वज्ञत्वस्वरूपिणी । पूर्णत्व रूपा नित्यत्वव्यापकत्वस्वरूपिणी ।। शिवस्य शक्तयः पञ्च संकुचद्रूपभास्कराः । Sivapurana (Kailasasamhita 10. 158).
7
On the use of the expression Yauga in this sense see G. N. Kaviraja in Sarasvati Bhavana Studies, Vol. III, p. 84.
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