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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Jainism, Kevala Jna (Sanskrit: ) orKevalaa (Jain Prakrit: ), "Perfect or AbsoluteKnowledge", is the highest form of knowledge that a soul can

attain. A person who has attainedKevala Jna

is called aKevalin, which is synonymous withJina "victor" and Arihant "the

worthy one". A Tirthankara is a kevalin who preaches the Jain

doctrine and establishes the Jaina order.

In Jain thought,Kevala is the state of isolation of thejva from the

ajva attained through ascetic practices which burn off one's

karmic residues, releasing one from bondage to the cycle of death

and rebirth.Kevala Jna thus means infinite knowledge of self

and non-self, attained by a soul after annihilation of the all ghtiy

karmas.[1]

The soul who has reached this stage achieves moksa or

liberation at the end of his lifespan.

1 Jna Knowledge2 Two aspects of Kevala Jna3 The Kevala Jna of Mahavira4 Kevala Jna and Moksa

5 Supreme Non-attachment or Vtarga6 References

According to Jainism, pure and absolute knowledge is an intrinsic

and indestructible quality of all souls. However, because of the

accumulation of different types Jnvaraya karmas, this

quality of soul loses potency and becomes obscured. Following are

the types of knowledge: [2]

ala Jnana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia file:///C:/Users/akmoe/Documents/JAINISM/Kevala_Jnana.htm

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Type of Knowledge Description Obscured by

Mati-JnaThe knowledge through the

medium of the five senses

Mati

Jnvaraya

karma

Sruta Jna

The knowledge which is

based on the interpretation of

signs, the understanding ofspeech, words, writings,

gestures, etc.

Sruta

Jnvarayakarma

Avadhi Jna

Clairvoyance, the

transcendental knowledge of

corporeal things, occurring

without the medium of

organs.

Avadhi

Jnvaraya

karma

Manahparyaya Jna

Extrasensory perception, the

transcendental knowledge of

the thoughts of others,occurring without the

medium of organs.

Manahparyaya

Jnvarayakarma

Kevala Jna

Unlimited, absolute, direct

Omniscience, perfect and

highest form of knowledge

and perception

Kevala

Jnvaraya

karma

While other types of knowledge are prone to error on account of delusion, only Kevala Jna is perfect and

free from all errors.

There are two aspects to Kevala Jna : complete realisation of self and omniscience, complete knowledge

of non-self.

A person who attains Kevala Jna realises the true nature of his soul. He remains engrossed in his true self.He is free from all desires and detached from all worldly activities, as he has achieved the highest objective

that can be achieved by the soul.

Secondly, Kevala Jna also means complete knowledge of all the activities and objects in the universe. Jaintexts describe the omniscience of Mahavira in this way:

[3]

When the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira had become a Jina and Arhat(Arihant), he was a Kevali,

omniscient and comprehending all objects; he knew and saw all conditions of the world, of gods,

men, and demons: whence they come, whither they go, whether they are born as men or animals

or become gods or hell-beings (upapada), the ideas, the thoughts of their minds, the food,

doings, desires, the open and secret deeds of all the living beings in the whole world; he the

Arhat (Arihant), for whom there is no secret, knew and saw all conditions of all living beings in

the world, what they thought, spoke, or did at any moment.(121)

Mahavira is said to have practised rigorous austerities for 12 years before he attained enlightenment:[4]


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Kevala Jna of Mahavira

"During the thirteenth year, in the second month of summer, in the

fourth fortnight, the light (fortnight) of Vaisakha, on its tenth day,

when the shadow had turned towards the east and the first wake

was over, on the day called Suvrata, in the Muhurta called Vigaya,

outside of the town Grimbhikagrama (Jrumbak gram) on the bank

of the river Rjupalika (Rujuvalika), not far from an old temple, in

the field of the householder Samaga(shyamak), under a Sal tree,

when the moon was in conjunction with the asterismUttaraphalguni, (the Venerable One) in a squatting position with

joined heels, exposing himself to the heat of the sun, after fasting

two and a half days without drinking water, being engaged in deep

meditation, reached the highest knowledge and intuition, called

Kevala, which is infinite, supreme, unobstructed, unimpeded,

complete, and full. (120)

Kevala Jna is one of the five major events in life of a Tirthankara and is known as Jna Kalyanaka andcelebrated by all gods. Mahaviras Kaivalya was celebrated by the demi-gods, who constructed the

Samosarana or a grand preaching assembly for him.

Kevala Jna and Moksa are intricately related. Moksa, or liberation, can only be attained by the

enlightened beings who have attained Kevala Jna. After the death or nirvana of a Kevalin, he becomes aSiddha, a liberated soul in a state of infinite bliss, knowledge, perception and power. It is a permanent and

irreversible state, free from sufferings, births and death. It is a state of permanent untrammeled bliss.

There is a direct relationship between Supreme Non-attachment and Omniscience. In the higher stages of

meditation ordhyna, one first attains the state ofVtarga wherein one is completely freed of all feelings

of attachment to all else other than one's soul. Once a permanent state of Vtarga is achieved, omniscience

follows. This is because omniscience is the basic nature of the soul and it is merely clogged by the presence

of the 8 types of karmas in the soul. The attainment ofVtarga ensures that the 4 types of destructive

karmas known as ghatiya karmas are dissociated from the soul permanently. Hence, since the destructive

karmas are not present in the soul any more, the soul attains omniscience, its natural attribute.

^ Ed. John Bowker (2000). "Kevala" (http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&

entry=t101.e3952) . The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions . Oxford Reference Online. Oxford

University Press. http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t101.e3952.

Retrieved 2007-12-05.

1.

^ Glasenapp, Helmuth Von (1942) (in English. Trans. From German by G. Barry Gifford). The Doctrine of

Karman in Jain Philosophy. Bombay: Vijibai Jivanlal Panalal Charity Fund.

2.

^ Jacobi, Hermann; Ed. F. Max Mller (1884).Kalpa Sutra, Jain Sutras Part I, Sacred Books of the East, Vol.

22 (http://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe22/index.htm) . Oxford: The Clarendon Press. http://www.sacred-

texts.com/jai/sbe22/index.htm.

3.

^ Jacobi, Hermann; Ed. F. Max Mller (1884).Kalpa Sutra, Jain Sutras Part I, Sacred Books of the East, Vol.22 (http://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe22/index.htm) . Oxford: The Clarendon Press. http://www.sacred-

texts.com/jai/sbe22/index.htm.

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