Knowledge is classified into immediate and mediate (pratyaksa
and paroksa) (Pr. 224). Avadhi, manahparyaya and kevala are the three
kinds of immediate which may be called extraordinary and extrasensory
perceptions. They are called immediate (pratyaksa) knowledge, because
these are acquired not through the medium of senses. Avadhi is
clairvoyance. It is direct knowledge of material things even at a
distance of space or time. It is called �avadhi� or �limited� because
it functions within a particular area and up to a particular time. It
cannot go beyond spatio-temporal limits. Manahparyaya is telepathy,
direct knowledge of the thoughts of others. This is also limited by
spatio-temporal conditions. Kevalajnana is omniscience. It can be
acquired by the person who is devoid of all types of passions and this
Kevalajnana becomes cause of liberation. It is beyond spatio-temporal
conditions. Paroksa or mediate knowledge is divided into Mati or
Abhinibodhaka and Sruta. These are acquired by the soul through
external agencies. Mati is ordinary cognition obtained by means of
sense-perception, and Sruta or testimony is derived from Scriptures or
authority. Thus these are five kinds of right knowledge. Besides these
five kinds of right knowledge, we have three kinds of erroneous
knowledge, and vibhangajnana-limited direct erroneous knowledge. Thus
knowledge is classified into eight kinds, five of them are right
knowledge and latter three are erroneous knowledge (Pr. 225). These are
known as eight kinds of determinate knowledge (Pr. 194-5).
Consciousness is the chief characteristic possessed by
soul. Darsana and Jnana are the two manifestations of concisousness.
Darsana is the first stage of cognition where we are only aware of an
object. It is known as indeterminate knowledge or formless (anakara
upayoga) which is of four kinds : Caksurdarsana-darsana caused by sight,
acaksurdarsana-non visual cognition, avadhidarsana, limited direct
cognition and Kevaladarsana-Perfect darsana. The difference between the
Darsana and Jnana is that in the former, we have simple apprehension,
perception of generalities of things, while in the latter we have
conceptual knowledge. Again in the former details are not perceived,
while in the latter the details are clearly known. Thus Darsana is
called indeterminate while Jnana is called determinate.
