Omniscience a Fiction or a Fact

Summary

G.R. Jain’s essay tackles the age‑old question of whether omniscience is possible, blending modern scientific insights with classical Jain doctrines. Recent experiments have recorded brain waves and transmitted them across the Atlantic, demonstrating that thought involves measurable electromagnetic vibrations. The author relates this to the Jain theory of karmic vargaṇās—subtle particles of matter that continually flow into the soul and condition consciousness. Ordinary souls (saṃsārīs) are weighed down by karma and subject to Newtonian gravitation; pure souls, by contrast, are lighter than a hydrogen atom and naturally rise to the top of the universe, where there is no medium of motion. A pure soul is “Effulgence Divine,” the repository of perfect knowledge in which past, present and future are simultaneously reflected. The article distils six key points: (1) mind and matter interact through subtle energy; (2) the soul is inherently luminous but clouded by karmic matter; (3) the speed of light sets physical limits, yet Jains postulate a substance called dharma‑dravya that provides the medium of motion and adharma‑dravya that provides rest; (4) the universe is finite in spatial extent but infinite in time; (5) beyond the lokākāśa (inhabited universe) lies the alokākāśa, a realm devoid of motion; and (6) Jain cosmology anticipates modern concerns about red‑shifts and cosmic expansion by positing alternative explanations based on the permanence of energy. Drawing on scriptural sources and scientific analogies, the author contends that the omniscience attributed to the Tīrthaṅkaras is not a myth but a logical outcome of the soul’s purification. While acknowledging that empirical science may challenge religious claims, he invites readers to consider the depth of ancient Jain insights and suggests that open‑minded criticism can enrich both science and spirituality.