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14
INTRODUCTION.
derivations, the last three standpoints have also to be taken into consideration, in the interpretation of scriptural text.
The above is necessarily a brief explanation of a subject which is capable of an enormous amplitude. If the reader is desirous of studying it fully, he should make himself familiar with works such as the Vis'e. súvas'yaka, the Naya-Chakra, etc., where the philosophy of Nayas is more elaborately and fully explained.
As a result of the foregoing analysis of the different kinds of standpoints, we may say that the Nayas constitute the very foundation of the science of Thought. They are not rules of logic as understood in its strict sense, but in a very much wider though simpler aspect. As Mr. A. B. Lathe points out (see 'An Introduction to Jainism,' p. 108):
“Logic, as applied to our present subject, is not a term denoting formal laws of thought. It constitutes the essence of Jain philosophy, without an adequate conception of whose importance, it would be impossible to realize the place of Jainism in the philosophical systems of the world, and the contribution it has made to the progress of human thought. As will be indicated further on, Anekant Logic is
