________________
The Doctrine of Nayas: Infinite Modes and Infinite Approaches
95
woman' or 'a sky-flower' are compound concepts. The 'son' is objectively true, and 'a barren woman's son' is a negative concept with reference to a 'son'. Similarly, the 'flower' is a truth. And a 'sky-flower' is a negative concept formed on the basis of the 'flower' existing in its own capacity. A barren woman connot have a son, but in the absence of any son anywhere, the concept of 'a barren woman's son' would be impossible. The sky cannot have flowers, but if the flowers were not present anywhere in the world, the concept of skyflower would be impossible. And, therefore, the concepts like 'barren woman's son' or 'a sky-flower', are negative ideas born out of the real existence of their components elsewhere in the world. The pantoscopic viewpoint (naigama naya), on account of its being based obviously on the speaker's will or intention, is competent enough to explain such hypothetical truths.
If the meaning of silence is not to speak, it is actually the secret of good health, nothing else. The meaning of silence should actually be to arrest
A the purpose of speech.
To be ignorant is difficult. But greater difficulty
is to be knowingly ignorant.
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
