Synonyms of Mati Jñāna (Perceptual Knowledge)
Sutra 1.13 matiḥ smṛtiḥ saṃjñā cintā abhinibodha ity anarthāntaram
मति: स्मृति: संज्ञा चिन्ता अभिनिबोध इत्यनर्थान्तरम्
Sandhi-viccheda: मति + स्मृति + संज्ञा + चिन्ता + अभिनिबोध + इति + अनर्थान्तरम्
Meaning: Mati, Smṛti, Saṃjñā, Cintā, and Abhinibodha are not different substances; they are synonyms or alternative names of Mati Jñāna itself.
- Mati (Perception) – Knowledge obtained through the senses and mind.
Example: Knowing “this is a table” just by perceiving it. - Smṛti (Memory) – Recollection of something known earlier.
Example: Remembering that “yesterday I saw this book”. - Saṃjñā (Recognition/Association) – When present perception and memory combine, recognizing it as the same.
Example: On seeing someone today, saying “this is the same person I met yesterday”. - Cintā (Reasoning/Inference by association) – Knowledge through logical connection.
Example: Seeing smoke and logically concluding there must be fire. - Abhinibodha (Deduction/Inference by cause-effect) – Awareness of the effect through its cause. Another word: Anumāna (inference).
Example: Seeing smoke rising, one deduces “there is fire here”.
👉 All these arise due to the subsidence or destruction of Mati Jñānāvaraṇīya Karma (knowledge-obscuring karma).
👉 Though different in form, they all are part of Mati Jñāna.
👉 Āchārya Vīrasena (in Dhavalā ṭīkā on Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama) has even called Mati Jñāna itself as Abhinibodha Jñāna.
Cause of Origin of Mati Jñāna
Sutra 1.14 tad indriyān indriya-nimittam
तदिन्द्रियानिन्द्रियनिमित्तम्
Sandhi-viccheda: तत् + इन्द्रिय + अनिन्द्रिय + निमित्तम्
Meaning: Mati Jñāna arises through the five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing) and mind (called Anindriya).
- For 5-sensed beings with mind (samanaska) – Mati Jñāna arises through all five senses + mind.
- For 5-sensed beings without mind (amanaska) – only through senses.
- For 4-sensed beings – through touch, taste, smell, sight.
- For 3-sensed beings – through touch, taste, smell.
- For 2-sensed beings – through touch, taste.
- For 1-sensed beings (plants, etc.) – only through touch.
👉 Thus, every worldly being (even the tiniest nigoda jīvas) possesses Mati and Śruta Jñāna.
👉 Here, Acharya explains Mati Jñāna’s kinds with reference to instruments/causes (nimitta).
Subdivisions of Mati Jñāna
Sutra 1.15 avagrahehāvaya dhāraṇāḥ
अवग्रहेहावय धारणा:
Sandhi-viccheda: अवग्रह + ईहा + आवाय + धारणा:
Meaning: Mati Jñāna is of four stages – Avagraha, Īhā, Āvaya, and Dhāraṇā.
- Darśana (Preliminary Cognition/Perception) – Awareness of mere existence of something without knowing “what it is”.
Example: Seeing a distant object in the sky but not yet knowing whether it is a bird or flag.- This is called Darśana-upayoga (function of perception).
- When knowledge arises of “what it is”, then Jñāna-upayoga begins.
- Avagraha (Indistinct Knowledge) – Initial indistinct knowledge of the object’s features.
Example: Recognizing it as “something white or black in color” but still unclear. - Īhā (Investigation/Desire to know) – Attempt to know the specific identity of the object.
Example: Wondering “Is it a crane or a flag?” - Āvaya (Definite Determination) – Clear knowledge of what exactly the object is.
Example: Concluding “It is a crane.” - Dhāraṇā (Retention/Memory) – Not forgetting the object even after some time.
Example: Later, on seeing the crane flap its wings, confirming again “Yes, this is a crane” – memory strengthens recognition.
Substances Subject to Avagraha etc.
Sūtra 1.16 – bahu-bahuvidha-kṣiprāniḥsṛtānukta-dhruvāṇām setarāṇām
बहुबहुविधक्षिप्रानि:सृतानुक्तध्रुवाणाम् सेतराणाम्
Word-splitting:
bahu + bahuvidha + kṣipra + aniḥsṛta + anukta + dhruvāṇām + setarāṇām
Meaning:
Among substances, there are twelve varieties:
- Bahu (many)
- Eka/alpa (one or few)
- Bahuvidha (of many kinds)
- Ekavidha (of one kind)
- Kṣipra (swift)
- Akṣipra (slow)
- Aniḥsṛta (known partially, then inferred fully)
- Niḥsṛta (known completely and directly)
- Anukta (known without being told, through implication)
- Ukta (known when expressed in words)
- Dhruva (stable/lasting)
- Adhruva (unstable/fleeting)
These twelve types of objects are known through the four stages of knowledge: Avagraha (apprehension), Īhā (speculation), Āvaya (determination), and Dhāraṇā (retention).
Examples of the 12 Types of Objects
- Bahu (Many): Grasping a group collectively, e.g., perceiving an army or forest as a whole.
- Eka (One): Knowing a single object, e.g., recognizing one man or one straw.
- Bahuvidha (Many kinds): Knowing diverse objects within a group, e.g., elephants, horses in an army, or mango, mahua trees in a forest.
- Ekavidha (One kind): Knowing similar items together, e.g., wheat grains.
- Kṣipra (Swift): Knowing swiftly moving things, e.g., a fast-moving vehicle or objects seen while traveling.
- Akṣipra (Slow): Knowing slowly moving things, e.g., walking horses.
- Aniḥsṛta (Partial → Complete): Inferring the whole by seeing only a part, e.g., recognizing an elephant by only seeing its trunk above water.
- Niḥsṛta (Complete): Knowing the full object directly, e.g., seeing the whole elephant when it comes out of water.
- Anukta (Unexpressed): Understanding implied meaning without being told.
- Ukta (Expressed): Understanding when explicitly told.
- Dhruva (Stable): Knowing objects that remain constant for long, e.g., mountains.
- Adhruva (Unstable): Knowing fleeting/changing objects, e.g., lightning.
Question:
- Whose adjectives are these twelve (bahu, bahuvidha, etc.)?
👉 They are adjectives of arthas (objects of knowledge, i.e., perceptible substances). - What are the 288 varieties?
👉 The twelve types of objects, when known through the four stages of knowledge (Avagraha, Īhā, Āvaya, Dhāraṇā), across five senses + mind (6 total), give:
12 × 4 × 6 = 288 varieties of Mati-jñāna (sensory knowledge).
Sūtra 1.17 – arthasya
अर्थस्य
Word-split:
- arthasya – of objects (substances or their modifications)
The different types of objects (artha) are known through the four stages of sensory knowledge: Avagraha (perception), Īhā (speculation), Āvaya (decision), and Dhāraṇā (retention).
Avagraha of Vyajana (Words)
Sūtra 1.18 – vyajñanasya avagrahaḥ
व्यञ्जनस्यावग्रह
- Only Avagraha (apprehension) occurs for indistinct sounds (vyajana).
- The other three stages (Īhā, Āvaya, Dhāraṇā) do not take place here.
- Example: Hearing a faint sound without understanding its meaning — this is Vyajana-avagraha.
- Once the sound becomes clear, then Arthāvagraha (apprehension of meaning) and further stages occur.
Speciality of Vyajana-avagraha
Sūtra 1.19 – na cakṣur-anindriyābhyām
- Vyajana-avagraha does not occur through the eye (sight) or mind.
- It only occurs through the other four senses (hearing, smell, taste, touch).
Numerical Classification
- Each of the four (Avagraha, Īhā, Āvaya, Dhāraṇā) has 12 varieties → 12 × 4 = 48.
- Since they occur through 6 faculties (5 senses + mind): 48 × 6 = 288.
- Additionally, Vyajana-avagraha occurs only through 4 senses (not eye & mind): 12 × 4 = 48.
- Total Mati-jñāna varieties = 288 + 48 = 336.


