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ĀPTA-MĪMĀMSĀ
nayas detailed above, the Jainas accept a substance to exist from a particular aspect, not to exist from another aspect, both to exist and not exist from a third aspect or be indescribable from a fourth aspect.
It must be remembered that "these nayas deal with the various aspects of reality from their particular angles of vision, but they do not predicate the non-existence of other points of views. When one point of view becomes primary, the others become of secondary importance. It is incorrect to suppose that only a particular naya is correct and others are erroneous. As a matter of fact all these standpoints are equally true and valid and lead to correct knowledge, provided that they do not deny the existence of the other points of view, for one will be wholly untrue without the existence of others. In other words, the valid nayas are inter-dependent and when they become independent the result is that their very nature is annihilated. For example, the interdependence of cotton threads is possessed of the potentiality of warding off cold and providing comfort to the body, but if each of these threads become independent of others, these will not be able to serve the aforesaid purpose."1
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सदेव सर्वं को नेच्छेत् स्वरूपादिचतुष्टयात् । असदेव विपर्यासान्न चेन्न व्यवतिष्ठते ॥15॥ sadeva sarvam ko nechchhet svarūpādichatuṣṭayāt, asadeva viparyāsān-na chen-na vyavatiṣṭhate.
15. Who does not hold everything to exist from the four (aspects) svarupa etc. (sva-rupa, sva-kṣetra, sva-kāla and sva-bhāva)? On the contrary, who does not hold nonexistence (with reference to the absence of these four, viz. rūpa, kṣetra, kāla and bhāva)? If this be not (accepted), nothing can exist.
1. Sacred Books of the Jainas, Vol XI, pages 203-204.
