Jain Journal 2005 01

SR No.: 520157
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publication Year: 2005
Total Pages: 58
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, India_Jain Journal, & India
File Size: 3 MB

Page 26

DEVEN YASHWANT: ANEKĀNTA AND ITS PARALLELS
125
In the Rgveda we find two opposite viewpoints about the origin of the Universe: sat as well as asat. The Satkāryavāda of Sänkhyadarśana says that the Universe was created out of existence i. e. sat, whereas Asatkāryavāda of Vaiseșika says that it was born out of non-existence i.e. asat. In the Sānkhya system it is said that sat cannot come out of asat. Both of these philosophies could be viewed from the ekāntadrsti. All these views were, however, permitted to flourish. Permission to flourish seems to me an example of Anekānta in these two philosophical system.
The Lord Buddha introduced the Madhyamamārga in his philosophy. To avoid controversies Gautama always chose the middle path. He even went to the extent of avoiding controversial questions. Buddha had firmly expressed his views saying that some questions were totally irrelevant and therefore did not deserve to be considered. Nāgārjuna, the Mādhyamika philosopher of the 3rd century A.D., introduced the theory of Catuskoți as follows:
1. Everything is true, not everything is true, 2. Both, 3. Everything is untrue, not everything is untrue, 4. Neither everything is true, not everything is untrue,
In the beginning of the post-Christian era we saw several theories finding their way in the Indian stream of thought. Everyone was trying to prove his set of theories as the perfect one. They all criticized each other as seen in Darsanas, Upanisads and Buddhist literature. The rival schools of thoughts by their arguments and counter arguments only encouraged dogmatism and intoleration in philosophy. In such serious controversial situations adopted by Sānkhya, Nyāya, Vaišeşika, Mimāṁsā, Vedānta ana wuddhism, the philosophy Anekānta was born.
The Vedic system of thought was quite different from other systems of Indian philosophy. Buddha propounded the Madhyama mārga, but left some deep questions unanswered by saying that such questions are unanswerable and non-describable. There are different