Jainism as Metaphilosophy

SR No.: 001194
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: S Gopalan
Publisher: Satguru Publications Delhi
Publication Year: 1991
Total Pages: 92
Language: English
Classification: Book_English & Philosophy
File Size: 5 MB

Page 72

Jainism As Metaphilosophy
that this is responsible for man's inability to simultaneously predicate incompatible characters of any subject from the point of view of the same
factor.20
The remaining three propositions result from successively combining each of the first three propositions with the fourth. This exercise seems to give us an exhaustive description of Reality, for Syādvāda as emphasising the idea of synthesis is, by the very spirit of its method, not to leave the description incomplete-giving positive descriptions merely, making available negative descriptions alone or even by simultaneously describing Reality in positive as well as negative terms. It should also include the successive combinations of such descriptions of the various attempts at comprehending Reality.
5 The proposition "Reality is and is indescribable" is obtained by combining propositions 1 and 4. In terms of our example, when the proposition "The pot is made of clay" and "The pot is indescribable" are combined, the idea reiterated is this. The first part of the proposition points to the situation of describability of the substance of which the pot is made and the second part, to its indescribability when the substances of which the pot is and is not made are simultaneously attempted to be described.
6 The proposition "Reality is not and is indescribable", on analysis, reveals the rationale behind combining propositions 2 and 4 : Des-cribability signifies not merely stating positively that the particular object under consideration is made of a specific substance but also negatively stating that it is not made of any other substance. All the same, if this negative description is simultaneously attempted to be combined with a positive description, the situation of indescribability would be inevitable.
7 The proposition "Reality is, is not and is indescribable" reiterates further that propositions 1 and 2 can be meaningfully expressed if they are aimed at giving a positive and a negative description of the substance
f which the pot is made in the example cited) successively. That is, if a positive and then a negative description is attempted, it would be successful in so far as either a positive or a negative description would result. On the other hand, if a simullancous description—in positive and