Chapter V.e - Prabhācandra’s view about omniscience (kevala-jñāna)

The Jainas further hold that the liberated self acquires perfect and infinite knowledge called kevala-jñāna which is nothing but omniscience. According to them, self is omniscient, but due to the veil of the karmic-matter, this knowledge is obscured. When all the obstructions are removed the self gains omniscience.

But the Mīmāṃsakas do not accept the concept of omniscience of the self. They hold that the self is not able to know directly all the objects of all time. The knowledge of the past, present and future is attained only through the Vedas which are apaurūṣeya. So, there is no such person who attains such knowledge through direct perception. Hence, there can be no omniscience and there is no pramāṇa to prove the existence of omniscient being.

But Prabhācandra reject the view that there is no pramāṇa to prove the existence of omniscient being. He argues that one can prove it by inference. One of the inferences is as follows: there is a self who perceives all objects; because it is his nature to know all the things and also destroys all the obstacles which stand in his way. If a thing by its very nature can know other things and destroys all the obstacles which hinders in his way, then it should be able to perceive such things, just like it is the nature of the eyes to perceive colour and if there is no darkness, then the eyes would perceive colour. So, the self is omniscient.

The Mīmāṃsakas again ask whether the omniscient self knows all the things or some very important things? If it is known to have the knowledge of all things, does that knowledge arise simultaneously? But it cannot arise simultaneously because there are opposite natures of different things, such as water is cold and fire is hot. So, the perceptions of all such things cannot arise simultaneously in one knowledge. Prabhācandra here argues: why the objects of opposite natures cannot be apprehended simultaneously in one knowledge? Is it because of the absence of such objects or because of the knowledge is unable to apprehend them simultaneously? The first one is not true, because the things with opposed characters are well-known to exist simultaneously, just as cold and hot is found simultaneously in water. The second one is also not true, because knowledge is known to apprehend opposite things simultaneously, for it is well-known that light and darkness may be apprehended simultaneously.

The Mīmāṃsakas again argue that the past cannot be known in omniscience, because they are not present. But Prabhācandra replies that the knowledge of the past and present is possible in omniscience, because the objects of the past are apprehended as of the past and the objects of the present are apprehended as of the present. So, all the objects of all times are apprehended in omniscience. Thus, there is no problem in accepting liberated self as omniscient being.

Types of Liberation (kevala-jñāna):

The Jainas hold that liberation is of two types, viz., (i) bhāva-mokṣa and (ii) dravya-moksa. Bhāva-mokṣa means freedom from the four destructive karmans, viz., jñānāvaraṇīya, darśanāvaraṇīya, mohanīya and antarāya. When all of these four types of destructive karmans are destroyed, then the self is endowed with omniscience and is called kevalin. But the self is not totally freed from worldly life, because the other four non-destructive karmans are not destroyed. So, when all other four non-destructive karmans i.e. āyus, nāma gotra and vedanīya karmans are destroyed, then the self is freed from the worldly life and all kinds of bondage. This is the stage of dravya-mokṣa. As soon as the self becomes free from all kinds of karmans, it moves upward. With different examples, the upward motion of the self is explained. As the potter’s wheel goes on moving even after the stoppage of the act of spinning; or as the gourd covered with clay sinks down into water and rises to the surface of water when the cover of clay is dissolved; or as the flame of a lamp naturally moves upward, so also the self moves upward when it is freed from all kinds of karma-matter.