Jñatṛtva

By Swami Harshananda

Jñatṛtva literally means ‘the capacity to know’.

All the six systems of philosophy accept the jīva or the jīvātman as a fundamental aspect of creation and the created world. He has three capacities:

1. Jñātṛtva - the capacity to know
2. Kartṛtva - the capacity to perform actions
3. Bhoktṛtva - the capacity to experience the results of these actions

Hence a jiva is termed as:

1. Jñātṛ - the knower
2. Kartṛ - doer
3. Bhoktṛ - enjoyer or experiencer

These three capacities distinguish him from prakṛti or the insentient nature. Therefore they are termed as a sign of life and consciousness.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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