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  • what was every science related thing the Tīrthaṅkaras were made aware of from attaining omniscience that was thought to be necessary for liberation?
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    Jain Follower

    what was every science related thing the Tīrthaṅkaras were made aware of from attaining omniscience that was thought to be necessary for liberation?

    6 months ago 107

    In Jain Dharma, this kind of question has to be answered very carefully, because:

    • Tīrthaṅkaras are sarvajña (omniscient) after kevalajñāna.
    • Their knowledge is infinite, but
    • For liberation only a certain type of knowledge is relevant, not “every science” in the modern sense.

    So we cannot give a list like: physics, chemistry, biology, etc., as “required for moksha.” Jain scriptures do not present such a list.

    Below is what can be said accurately and traditionally.

    ---

    1. What Tīrthaṅkaras know after kevalajñāna

    After kevalajñāna, a Tīrthaṅkara knows:

    • All substances (dravya) in the universe
    - jīva (souls) - pudgala (matter, including bodies, atoms, etc.) - dharma-dravya (medium of motion) - adharma-dravya (medium of rest) - ākāśa (space) - kāla (time)
    • All modes (paryāya) of these substances
    - past, present, future - gross and subtle forms
    • All kinds of worldly arts and sciences
    - medicine, astrology, mathematics, languages, crafts, politics, etc. - everything that ever has been or will be thought, invented, or discovered.

    In other words: nothing remains unknown to a kevalī. This is common to both Digambar and Śvetāmbara traditions, though details of explanation differ.

    But this is total knowledge, not a syllabus for liberation.

    ---

    2. What knowledge is considered necessary for liberation

    For moksha, Jain Dharma emphasizes right knowledge of tattvas (fundamental principles), not technical sciences.

    The essential “science for liberation” is:

    (a) Three Jewels (ratnatraya)

    1. Samyak-darśan – right faith (right perception of reality)
    2. Samyak-jñān – right knowledge
    3. Samyak-cāritra – right conduct

    Right knowledge here means: clear, non-deluded understanding of soul, karma, bondage, and liberation, etc.

    (b) Tattvas (7 or 9 fundamentals)

    Usually listed as:

    1. Jīva – soul
    2. Ajīva – non-soul (matter, karmic matter, space, etc.)
    3. Āsrava – inflow of karma
    4. Bandha – bondage of karma
    5. Saṃvara – stoppage of karma
    6. Nirjarā – shedding of karma
    7. Mokṣa – liberation

    Some traditions add:

    1. Puṇya – merit
    2. Pāpa – demerit

    Understanding these correctly is considered necessary and sufficient from the side of knowledge.

    (c) Additional “liberation-relevant” topics Tīrthaṅkaras teach

    The Tīrthaṅkara’s omniscience includes everything, but in pravachan they focus on:

    • Nature of jīva and its inherent qualities (upayoga – consciousness, etc.)
    • Detailed karma theory (types, bondage, duration, intensity, fruition)
    • Guṇasthāna (14 stages of spiritual development)
    • Vows, restraints, and discipline for:
    - monks (sādhu-sādhuvī) - householders (śrāvaka-śrāvikā)
    • Loka-vyāpāra (structure of the universe) mainly as needed to show:
    - finiteness of worldly happiness - place of different gatis (heavens, hells, human, animal)
    • Right conduct:
    - ahiṃsā, satya, asteya, brahmacarya, aparigraha - internal & external austerities, meditation, samayik, pratikraman, etc.

    These topics are sometimes called jain-tattva-vidyā – you may loosely think of this as “spiritual science” in Jainism.

    But they are always directed to karmakṣaya (destruction of karma), not to improving worldly life.

    You can read a simple overview of Tīrthaṅkaras and their qualities here

    ---

    3. Are worldly sciences required for liberation?

    No. According to Jain Dharma:

    • A person can attain liberation even without knowing:
    - mathematics, astronomy, medical science, grammar, etc.
    • What is indispensable is:
    - right faith, - right understanding of tattvas, - right conduct (especially vows and internal purity).

    Worldly sciences are:

    • Known to a Tīrthaṅkara because His knowledge is infinite.
    • Sometimes used (for example, speaking in many languages at once, knowing appropriate examples from all fields).
    • But not counted as a condition for moksha.

    ---

    4. So, can we list “every science-related thing” they were made aware of for liberation?

    From the Jain scriptural point of view:

    • They are aware of all sciences without limit.
    • Scriptures do not isolate and list each “science topic” required for moksha.
    • Instead, they repeatedly say:
    - Kevalajñāna = infinite, direct knowledge of all substances and modes. - For liberation, the necessary part is the correct knowledge of tattvas and the path (mārga).

    So a complete list, as your question asks, is actually infinite and not given in any Jain text. The tradition very clearly shifts the focus from “how much you know” in a worldly or scientific sense to “whether your knowledge is right, non-deluded, and applied as right conduct”.

    ---

    In simple words:

    • Tīrthaṅkaras know everything that can be known.
    • For our liberation, what matters is right Jain tattva-gyān and right conduct, not mastering “sciences” in the modern sense.
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