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10
A Treatise on Jainism
Any one of the standpoints to which one has to resort for expounding a thing is called Naya (standpoint). In Naya, there is only partial truth, but in denying other characteristics that statement could result in falsehood. Suppose there is an elderly person of 75 years and he has a son aged 45 and the latter has a son aged 15. Now if the son who is aged 45 is only addressed as 'father” this form of address will result in falsehood because from the standpoint of his 75 years. old father be is also a son. If 45 years old man is only styled a 'son', that too would be wrong because from the standpoint of his. 15 years old son he is also a father. Similarly one person is known as “Arya” from standpoint of territory; or as “Vaishya" from standpoint of Verna; or as “Oshwal” from standpoint of his sub-caste or say “Nagori” from standpoint of the village or as a son, father, husband or brother from the standpoints respectively of his father, son, wife or sister. In this way, from various standpoints, it is possible to have different characteristics in one and the same thing.
Syadvada if properly understood reveals the true nature of a thing. What is the nature
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