Page Text
________________
Relativism (Syadavad or Anekantavad) and its Practice
Dr. Duli Chandra Jain Professor of Physics, City University of New York, New York (U. S. A.).
"It takes different strokes to move the world...... What might be right for you, may not be right for some." These are the lines from the title song of a television show "Different Strokes". Einstein said, “We can only know the relative truth. The absolute truth is known only to the Universal Observer." The great medieval Hindi poet, Tulsidas said :
हरि अनंत हरि कथा अनंता, कहहिं सुनहि बहुविधि सब संता । (God is infinite, the various sages and seers have been heard to depict Him in a variety of ways.)
If we consider the word God to represent truth, then this becomes the relativism of the Jain system. These are a few examples of the practice of the concept of multiplicity of viewpoints.
Let us first establish the need for practicing relativism. It is seen that, in many instances, the practice of any religion leads to superiority complex and intolerance of other's religious views. Vividus, in his book entitled "Jainism, has written, "At various times in history, the (religious) systems have been in authority in various parts of the world and by virtue of such authority, they have forced parts of mankind to accept then as guiding life, but this has added nothing to the sweet content of human civilization. Such enforce. ments have only left the bitter taste of their unwholesome memories. It is happening even today. This is violence. Our practice of relativism should enable us to avoid such violence. Further, relativism helps us develop a rational outlook towards life which is Samyaktya. Thus, relativism promotes the practice of nonviolence-the supreme religion.
Relativism (Syadavad or Anekant)-The Doctrine of Seven Aspects
According to the doctrine of seven aspects, there are seven angles of vision which are emplcyed in the observation and interpretation of the entities and events of the universe. Further, the result of any observation depends on the viewpoint of the observer. This latter statement is the gist of Einstein's theory of relativity.
The seven aspects are :
1. The positive aspect (Syadasti) Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
| SR No. | 012026 |
| Book Title | Jaganmohanlal Pandita Sadhuwad Granth |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Sudarshanlal Jain |
| Publisher | Jaganmohanlal Shastri Sadhuwad Samiti Jabalpur |
| Publication Year | 1989 |
| Total Pages | 610 |
| Language | Hindi, English |
| Classification | Smruti_Granth & Articles |
| File Size | 14 MB |