In Jain Darshan we do not say “the other 4 jñānas are untrue / false”; we say:

• They are limited and sometimes mixed with error
• Only Keval‑jñān is absolutely complete and 100% truth

So the “proof” is: show the limits and defects of the first four, and the completeness of Keval‑jñān.

---

1. Short recap: 5 types of Jñān

1. Mati‑jñān – sense + mind based (seeing, hearing, guessing, logic, memory)
2. Śruta‑jñān – from words / scriptures / teachings
3. Avadhi‑jñān – clairvoyance of material things (but with limits)
4. Manah‑paryāya‑jñān – knowing others’ thoughts
5. Keval‑jñān – infinite, perfect omniscience

You can read a simple overview here:

---

2. Why the first four are not absolute truth

(A) Mati‑jñān – sense & mind based

Nature:

• Comes through eyes, ears, etc. + mind (avagraha, īhā, avāya, dhāraṇā).
• Covered by ignorance, doubts, wrong beliefs, emotions, kashāyas.

Limits / defects:

1. Sense limitation

- You see a stick half‑inside water – it looks bent. - Your eyes say “bent”, but really it is straight. - So mati‑jñān can mislead.

1. Mind limitation

- You “assume” something based on half information. - Example: You see smoke on a hill → you think “there is fire”. Sometimes right, sometimes wrong (maybe it was dust). - So inference is probable, not 100%.

1. Karma obstruction

- Jñānāvaraṇīya karma covers knowledge. - So same object, same time → different people know it differently.

Conclusion: Mati‑jñān is useful, but partial and fallible. Therefore, not absolute truth.

---

(B) Śruta‑jñān – from words & scriptures

Nature:

• Based on language, memory, teacher, listener.
• Indirect: we hear / read / study and then know.

Limits / defects:

1. Dependence on words

- If you don’t know a language, the same scripture gives zero jñān. - If words are misunderstood, translation wrong → jñān becomes wrong.

1. Dependence on teacher & listener

- If the teacher is wrong‑believing, or listener inattentive, biased, sleepy → result is mixed or wrong understanding.

1. General, not full detail

- Scriptures can point to reality, but cannot exhaust every single paryāya (mode) of every dravya. - So it is true in principle, but not total coverage of reality.

Example:

• Someone explains “sugar is sweet” – this is right.
• But your experience may still differ (illness, tongue problem).
• So śruta‑jñān is right as far as it goes, but not infinite.

Conclusion: Śruta‑jñān can be samyak (right) or mithyā / mixed, and always limited, so not absolute like Keval‑jñān.

---

(C) Avadhi‑jñān – clairvoyance

Nature:

• Direct knowledge of material objects beyond normal senses

(far away, hidden, etc.).

Important point from Jain texts:

• Limited by:

- Range (certain distance / loka‑bhāga) - Object‑type (only pudgala, not every kind of dharma like guṇa‑paryāya of souls etc. in full detail) - Purity level of the soul

So:

• A deva or ascetic with avadhi‑jñān may know many things directly, but still:

- not all space - not all time - not all dravyas and all their paryāyas.

Therefore:

• Avadhi = direct but bounded
• Possible minor defects in beginning stages (e.g. indistinct, partial).

Conclusion: Avadhi‑jñān is true within its scope, but not all‑knowing, so not absolute truth.

---

(D) Manah‑paryāya‑jñān – knowing others’ thoughts

Nature:

• Direct knowledge of the mental modes (bhāvas) of other jīvas.
• Higher than Avadhi, arises only in very advanced ascetics.

Limits / defects:

1. Object‑range limited

- Only thoughts of certain beings within a certain range. - Not all dravyas, not all paryāyas of everything.

1. Stage differences

- Jain texts describe two levels: - Ūha‑paryāya (lower, some indistinctness) - Ṛju‑matī / vipula (higher, clearer) - The lower can still have some subtle limitations.

1. Time limitation

- Knows present / sometimes near past‑future mental states – but not all time like Keval‑jñān.

Conclusion: Even though manah‑paryāya is very pure and highly reliable, it still does not cover all that exists, so not equal to absolute truth.

---

3. Why only Keval‑jñān is absolute truth

Keval‑jñān is defined (both Digambar & Śvetāmbara) as:

• Infinite in scope – knows all substances (dravya) and all their modes (paryāya)
• All three times – past, present, future
• Simultaneously – not step‑by‑step
• Without any obstruction – all jñānāvaraṇīya karmas are completely destroyed
• Without error – no doubt, no illusion, no wrong mixing

So:

1. No limitation of senses or mind

- It is not dependent on indriyā, man, language, memory. - It is the soul’s pure, natural knowing power fully manifest.

1. No limitation of place / object / time

- Unlike avadhi, it is not restricted to some loka‑bhāga or some pudgala. - Unlike manah‑paryāya, not restricted to only thoughts.

1. No possibility of contradiction

- If kevalin knows “this is so”, that is absolutely final. - Any other knowledge (mati, śruta etc.) that seems opposite is either: - Lower‑standpoint (naya), or - Tainted by karma / misunderstanding.

Example to visualize:

• Four people with torches in a dark, huge cave:

- One lights only the entrance. - One lights only the left side. - One lights only the right side. - One lights only the ceiling. - Each says, “This is the cave.” All are partially right, but incomplete.

• When the sun rises, the whole cave is seen at once.

- That is like Keval‑jñān. - Now the complete picture is known – no dark corner remains.

In Jain Darshan:

• First four jñānas = like torches (helpful but partial)
• Keval‑jñān = like the sun (complete, unobstructed)

---

4. From Naya / Anekānt view

Using Jain logic:

• Vyavahār‑naya (practical viewpoint):

- Mati and śruta can be samyak (right) when supported by right faith and matched with reality. - So we say “this is true” in vyavahār sense, but with the understanding that it is: - Partial - Conditional - Subject to improvement / correction

• Niścaya‑naya (ultimate viewpoint):

- Only when the soul’s knowing power is totally free from karma (Keval‑jñān) do we get complete, changeless, all‑sided truth. - So in the strict, absolute sense, “Truth” = “that which is exactly as known by kevalin”.

Thus we don’t insult the lower four jñānas; we say:

• They are stages on the path.
• They can contain truth, but not the whole truth.
• Only Keval‑jñān = truth in the fullest, perfect, final sense.

You can read more about Keval‑jñān here:

---

5. Very short summary

• Mati, Śruta, Avadhi, Manah‑paryāya

- Limited by senses, mind, language, range, object, time, or stage. - Can be right or mixed / wrong depending on karma. - Therefore: not absolute, not all‑knowing.

• Keval‑jñān

- Infinite, unobstructed, of all dravyas and all paryāyas, past–present–future, all at once. - No possibility of error; all obscuring karmas are destroyed. - Therefore: only Keval‑jñān is “complete truth” in Jainism.