Philosophy In Jain Agams: Causes of Pre-birth Memory

The memory of past life is not inborn in some souls; it is acquired due to some auxiliary causes. In the Ācārāṅga Bhāṣya, there is a mention of the three causes of pre-birth memory, which are as follows-^[1]

1. special subsidence of deluding karmā
2. purity of perception (purity of aura)
3. By the process of speculation, elimination (of doubt), investigation, intensive search.

1. By the special subsidence of deluding karma, pre-birth memory can be acquired. It is illustrated in Namipavajjā in the Uttarādhyayana.

There it is said that Nami remembered his past life on account of the subsidence of deluding karma.

Uvasantamohaṇijjo saraī porāṇiyaṃ jāiṃ

2. Purity of Perception - On account of his purity of perception, Mṛgāputra got the memory of his past life, simply at the sight of a monk. Here, the illustration is mentioned to be the subsidence of the deluding karma and the purification of the perceptive faculty, simultaneously.

sāhussa darisaṇe tassa, ajjhavasāṇammi sohaṇe
mohaṅgayassa santassa jāīsaraṇaṃ samuppannaṃ 19/7

                        Uttarādhyayana

By the sight of a monk and purity of perception 'I have seen such monk somewhere else,' in such thinking he got mesmerized and he developed deep concentration. All other options of thinking got dissolved. In this condition, he received the knowledge of his previous births.

The process of speculation, elimination (of doubt), investigation, intensive search

1. Īhā- speculation
2. Apoha- elimination
3. Mārgaṇā- investigation and
4. Gaveṣaṇā- intensive search

These four are the gradual steps in the process of memory of the past life. In the Ācārāṅga Bhāṣya, the example of Megha kumar is illustrated, in this context.

Meghakumara, as soon as he heard the name of Meruprabha elephant started 'speculation' in his mind about that elephant. As a result, there was some agitation in his mind to know the elephant. Thereafter, the process of elimination started with the query 'Had I been an elephant in the past?' In the process of rationalisation, he entered the state of 'investigation'. In other words, he entered the area of past experience in order to search out the event in his past life. While reflecting on the past, he embarked upon the state of 'intensive research'. Just as a cow reaches the grazing pasture visited earlier, while engaged in search of fodder, Meghakumar gained the memory of his elephant-life by the process of concentrated investigation.^[2]

In the Suśruta Saṃhitā, it is pointed out that the persons with their mind, cultivated in the past life by the study of spiritual lore, are capable of the memory of the past life.

Bhāvitaḥ pūrvadeheṣu, satataṃ śāstra buddhayaḥ
Bhavanti sattvabhūyiṣṭhaḥ pūrvajātismarāḥ narāḥ

[Suśruta Saṃhitā, Śārīrasthāna 2/57//]

Dual form of Pre-birth Memory

The memory of the past life arises on account of two reasons- some specific event or without such event (spontaneous). The memory that arises simply on account of the elimination-cum-subsidence of the relevant karmic veils without the occurrence of any specific event. On the other hand, such memory takes place due to the occurrence of some external event.^[3]