Classification of Knowledge in Jainism is based on the manner of acquiring knowledge to understand the Ultimate Reality. There are five major types of knowledge. In Jainism, knowledge is considered as one of the means to attain liberation. Knowledge is not something to be grasped and possessed by the soul, but is a state of the soul itself. Knowledge is the essence of the soul.
In "Tarkabhasya" of Yasoviyaya, the classification of knowledge is as follows:
1. Mati Jnana: Mati Jnana is the knowledge of the mind, usually gained through ones senses, memory, remembrance, cognition and deductive reasoning. It is something which one can know with the help of his/ her mind and its various faculties. This is indirect knowledge derived through the agency of the mind and its senses.
2. Sruta Jnana: Sruta Jnana is that cognition which is preceded by Empirical Knowledge. This type of Paroksa Jnana arises in the wake of empirical knowledge. Sruta Jnana is always preceded by Mati Jnana. It is the knowledge through words. In language, symbols are used to convey meaning Sruta Jnana is the understanding of the meaning of these symbols. It refers to the knowledge derived through words.
3. Avadhi Jnana: Avadhi is that type of direct cognition, which is limited to the objects having form. The self has inherent capacity to know all things irrespective of time and space. This faculty differs in scope and durability with different persons in accordance with the destruction and subsidence of karmic veils.
4. Manahparyaya Jnana: The direct apprehension of the modes of mind is called Manahparyaya. A person possessing this faculty can directly cognize the other"s mind. This faculty is confined to the abode of human beings. It depends on person"s particular mode of right conduct. It is conditioned by a strict mental and physical discipline. Only ascetics can acquire this ability.
5. Kevala Jnana: The perfect manifestation of the innate nature of the self, arising on the complete destruction of all obstructive veils of karma, is called Kevala Jnana. The person possessing this faculty perceives all the substance with all their modes. Nothing is unknown to him. His knowledge is pure and perfect due to the total destruction of all the possible obstructions. It is the highest type of knowledge and the perfection of the cognizing faculty of the soul.
A person can have at the most four varieties of knowledge at a time. Of these, Mati, Sruta and Avadhi Jnana may be true as well as deluded.
