________________
The Doctrine of Nayas: Infinite Modes and Infinite Approaches
89
one can arrive at the meaning intended by the speaker through words by overcoming doubt, perversion (error) and uncertainty. Dialogue Question 1 - From the above discussion of the nature of nayas, it is obvious that the purport of one naya is not only different from that of the other nayas but it is definitely opposed to the latter. Under such circumstances which should be considered true between the two? If one of them is considered as true, then the other will evidently be untrue. Both of the two mutually opposed views cannot be accepted as true. Is truth also divisible on the basis of viewpoints? Answer – (1) A thing is a composite of the universal and the particular. The generic attribute in it is the universal, whereas the specific attribute is called the particular. A generic attribute is not absolutely different from the specific attribute and vice versa. A thing, therefore, is a natural composite of the generic and the specific attributes. The generic attribute is eternal, while the specific attributes arise and vanish every moment, each succeeding moment replacing the preceding one without break. Each preceding moment is the cause of the moment that succeeds it as its effect. The generic attribute is also the cause of that effect. The auxiliary conditions also enjoy causal efficiency. This is an objective estimate of the nature of a real. The entire range of human thinking or search for truth is based on the duality of universal and particular,
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
