________________
XIII
CRITICAL ESTIMATE OF ANEKĀNTAVĀDA
Anekāntavāda or the theory of manifoldness is the nucleus of Jaina philosophy. It claims to impart valid knowledge and the claim is substantiated by the two methods of Nayavāda and Syādvāda. The non-absolutist standpoint forms the ground of the doctrine of manifoldness.
In the theory of seven-fold predication, Jain logicians describe the seven modes of predication and it is maintained by them that in predicating about a thing all these seven modes are to be taken into consideration in order to understand the real nature of a thing in all its aspects. In Jainism, a thing is defined as that which is beset with totality of all features potentially. The theory of seven-fold predication consists in the exposition of an object to one of its given features and there are seven considerations, each presenting one definite aspect of its relationship.
Since a thing has infinite-fold characteristics, it may be questioned why predications are confined to seven only. There may be infinite number of predications corresponding to infinite aspects of a thing. The reason why the number of
