According to Jainism, Keval Gyan (Omniscience) is the highest level of knowledge that can be attained by a soul. It is the absolute knowledge. Nothing remains to be known after attaining Keval Gyan.A Keval Gyani can comprehend and visualize everything in the universe in all times - past, present and future.This knowledge transcends all barriers of time, space, matter and energy. A keval gyani will attain liberation after the life span ends.
As a science student, I am more interested in the mathematics and physics of this phenomenon. Although most of ancient Jain Literature is lost, some Jain monks of this era such as Acharya Mahapragya, and some other eminent philosophers have tried and presented a logical explanation.
We first start with the agamic meaning of keval - alone and independent. As per Jainism, matter has infinite states or 'paryayas'. Imagine the soul of the kevali radiating energies of different types constantly at an infinite rate.And not only this , a Kevali can comprehend the vast information encoded in the sub-atomic particles and energies present in the universe at an infinite rate. This is how the past , the present and the future of all that exists in universe becomes evident.
The speed of light limits our perception. The sun we see is actually the sun approximately 8 minutes ago - the time it takes for light from sun to reach earth. A kevali has the capability of deploying his 'sookshma-pudgals' (massless micro particles) to capture an event at infinite speed. This is how a kevali knows everything in zero time. This is also how a Kevali can be at more than one place at the same time.
Since keval gyanis can convert moving time frames to a static frame they are always in present. Past and future merge for them. And because of this collapse of time, everything in past , present or future is 'just happening' for them.
According to Einstein's theory of relativity, the speed of light is constant or absolute.The equation E=mc2 restricts the maximum speed attained by a particle having negligible mass to speed of light. Any event in universe can be described in terms of space and time.For a kevali, the condition of singularity holds and time = 0(past=present=future) always , so all events in space are known to them.
Time travel is theoretically possible and moving at a speed greater than that of light is one of the ways in which the same can be achieved.Other ways include use of cosmic strings or blackholes, and travelling through a wormhole or via Alcubierre drive.
