Arihant (Jainism)

Kevalins - omniscient beings - are said to be of two kinds

1. Tirthankara kevalī: 24 human spiritual guides who after attaining omniscience teach the path to salvation.
2. Sāmānya kevalī: Kevalins who are concerned with their own liberation.

According to Jains, every soul has the potential to become an arihant. A soul which destroys all kashayas or inner enemies like anger, ego, deception, and greed, responsible for the perpetuation of ignorance, becomes an arihant.

Philosophy

According to Jain texts, omniscience is attained on the destruction of four types of karmas– deluding, the knowledge-obscuring, the perception-obscuring, and the obstructive karmas, in the order mentioned. The arihants are said to be free from the following eighteen imperfections:

1. janma – (re)birth
2. jarā – old-age
3. triśā – thirst
4. kśudhā – hunger
5. vismaya – astonishment
6. arati – displeasure
7. kheda – regret
8. roga – sickness
9. śoka – grief
10. mada – pride
11. moha – delusion
12. bhaya – fear
13. nidrā – sleep
14. cintā – anxiety
15. sveda – perspiration
16. rāga – attachment
17. dveśa – aversion
18. maraņa – death

Omniscience

In Jainism, omniscience is said to be the infinite, all-embracing knowledge that reflects, as it were, in a mirror, all substances and their infinite modes, extending through the past, the present, and the future. According to Jain texts, omniscience is the natural attribute of the pure souls. The self-attaining omniscience becomes a kevalin. Pandit Banarasidas in Samaysaar Natak describes the Omniscient soul as:

जोग धरै रहै जोगसौं भिन्न,

अनंत गुनातम केवलज्ञानी । तासु हृदै-द्रहसौं निकसी, सरितासम है श्रुत-सिंधु समानी ।। याते अनंत नयातम लच्छन, सत्य स्वरूप सिधंत बखानी । बुद्ध लखै न लखै दुरबुद्ध,

सदा जगमाँहि जगै जिनवानी ।।३।।

Meaning: The omniscient Lord has perfect, complete knowledge. He does have a physical form but has separated himself from his material body. From his heart-type of lake, a river has come out in the form of spiritual preachings and has merged into the ocean of holy scriptures. Therefore, such doctrines are called the ultimate truth, encompassing infinite partial points of view. The aspirant souls end up recognising such principles. The foolish, wrong-faithed persons fail to identify such truth. May such Omniscient knowledge of Arihants be victorious in the universe!

The four infinitudes (ananta cātuṣṭaya) are:

1. ananta jñāna, infinite knowledge
2. ananta darśana, perfect perception due to the destruction of all darśanāvaraṇīya karmas
3. ananta sukha, infinite bliss
4. ananta vīrya – infinite energy