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Early View

Dharm Chand Jain is a former Professor of Sanskrit and also former Dean, Faculty of Arts, Education & Social sciences, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur (Rajasthan), India. His major area of research is Jaina Philosophy. At present he is a Professor, Endowment Chair, Jain Studies Centre, Teerthanker Mahaveer University.

ARTICLE:

Development of Jaina Pramāṇaśāstra in the Commentaries of Tattvārthasūtra

In Jaina philosophy, pramāṇa is accepted as a definitive knowledge of an object and knowledge itself. There are many treatises on Jaina pramāṇa-śāstra which include epistemology and logic according to Jainism. Since Siddhasena’s Nyāyāvatra more than forty texts and commentaries are available on this subject. Five types of knowledge i.e. matijñāna (knowledge through sense organs and mind), śrutajñāna (scriptural of  verbal knowledge), avadhijñāna (clairvoyance), manaḥparyayajñāna (knowing the modes of others’ minds) and kevaljñāna (knowledge of all substances and modes) as mentioned in the canonical literature are the basis of the development of Jaina pramāṇa-śāstra. Contributions of Bhaṭṭa Akalaṅka (720-780), Vidyānanda (775-840), Ananatavirya (950-990), Vādiraj (1025), Abhayadevasuri (10th century), Prabhācandra (980-1065), Vādi devasśūri (1086-1169, Hemacandra (1088-1173), Dharmabushaṇa (15th century), Yaśovijaya (18th century) are very important in the development of Jain pramāṇa-śāstra, Tattvārthasūtra and its commentarial literature has also a significant role in developing the Jaina pramāṇa-śāstra. This development has three aspects-conceptual, analytical and logical. Tattvārthasūtra is the first text which established the classification of knowledge as two types of pramāṇa- pratyakṣa (perception) and parokṣa (indirect pramāṇa). An intensive discussion on Jain epistemology or pramāṇa-śāstra is seen in the commentrial literature of Tattvārthasūtra.

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