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अनेकान्त 66/3, जुलाई - सितम्बर 2013
Dialogue is an ancient Indian method of learning and increasing one's treasure of knowledge as it is quite often said "vade vade jayate tattvabodhah'. In fact it was the symbol of scholars. When we follow, for example, the cultural and the religious encounters of the Indian subcontinent in the past, we find different patterns of encounter. When the Aryans came from central Asia to India, they met the old culture of Dravidian people. They suppressed the original Indian culture, but they did not extinguish it. The caste system can be traced back to this encounter. The Hindu culture as such is a mixture of Aryans and Non-Aryan elements. In spite of many difficulties, India has always experimented with multiculturalism guided by the Rig Vedic dictum of one Truth having different names. In fact in the Jain history of twentifive centuries or more than that, we fail to find a single reference for "Jain Crusade" or "Jihad" in spite of many rulers who followed Jainism? Rather we notice help and protecion assured by these rulers for the followers of other religons and cultures. So it can be admitted with clarity and certainty says S.R. Vyasa: that the respectable place offered by Jainism to other religions or school and their truths is most high in comparison to the place given by other religions and schools to Jainism.10 This is possible for Jainism only because of its anekatika outlook.
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The Goodness of the doctrine of anekanta does not lie in its proclamation of superiority but providing room for others. Changing Ram into Rahman Rahman into Richard and Richard into Rajjinder, Ramatyayan or Remjipongo will be futile in every sense because man is freedon lover and the follower of himself. The advice of anekanta is to understand other's point of view without enmity and degradation11 is not only timely but also useful and purposive for everyone who believes in Jainism or not. But it is needed from all the corners of the world and expected from all those who claim themselves civilized, scientific and masters of future. It is this inclusive nature philosophy that can make mutual understanding possible.
