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I. 17-21 ]
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If every Naya that claims truth for itself only and disregards the viewpoints of other Naya, it goes contrary to the daily experience of things and offends against the established propositions of science. This truth has been illustrated here with reference to the 'soul'. If we take our stand exclusively on Dravyastika Naya we must regard the soul as being an eternal and unchangeable thing. On the other hand, if we take our stand on the view of Paryāyāstika Naya, we have to regard the soul as being ephemeral. From the standpoint of both these Nayas, this worldly life, the quality of happiness and misery, human endeavour for the attainment of happiness and removal of misery, the bondage of Karma and its continuance or persistence, liberation and the desire for liberation-all these can never be accounted for. For in the opinion of those who vote for the eternity of things, Atma being eternal and unchangeable can never be subjected to the turmoil of passions. On the other hand, if we accept the view that things are ephemeral and eternally change, then the soul would be ephemeral and would be born and perish at every moment and therefore the continuity of conciousness, desire, endeavour and such other attributes that imply a permanent character of the thing of which they are the attributes can never be predicated of the soul.
CHAPTER I
The inevitable conclusion, therefore, is this that two principal Nayas with their attendant minor Nayas should be considered as faulty if they are regardless of the views of other Nayas and arrogate to themselves the whole truth. But if they act in harmony with each
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