Anekantajay patakakhyam Prakaranam Part 2

Author(s): Haribhadrasuri, Munichandrasuri
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 113

CX
INTRODUCTION
In
Origin The entire literature of the world is not available. Even the Indian literature is not wholly extant. We cannot go beyond the Rgveda, the earliest human record available to-day. Next to it we have Brahmanas, Āranyakas and Upanisads. In the Upanisads we come across philosophical speculations and discussions indulged in full form. the days of Buddha there were certain philosophers, he being one of them who were asked certain metaphysical questions. Ten questions' are often mentioned by Buddha (vide Poṭṭhapădasutta, Dialogues, I. R. Davids pp. 254-257) as uncertain and ethically unprofitable and therefore not discussed by him. Of his contemporaries Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta and Mahāvira have answered them in their own way. The former may or may not have chosen the form of the answers in imitation of one employed by Mahavira; but, certainly there is no depth or soundness in his answers, and it resembles the doctrine of the Agnostics. On the other hand, Mahavira does neither evade any question nor does he resort to any jugglery of words, eel-wriggling or equivocation as done by the Amaravikkhepikas mentioned in the Brahmajālasutta.3 He gives in a straight-forward manner definite answers and clearly indicates his stand-point and the aspect of the object he refers to.* As the form of the judgment-the mode of expression is seen evolved, though perhaps not fully in the Jaina canon, the theory that every judgement is relative-a name for anekāntavādaR must have originated much earlier
2
1 These are referred to in the Buddhist literature as 'avyākatani' (indeterminate questions) and made the subject of a discourse in Samyutta-Nikaya called 'Avyakata Samyutta,'
2 ' अस्थि' ति पि मे नो (अस्तीति अपि मे नो)
$ 'नस्थि' ति पि मे नो (नास्तीति अपि मे जो )
'अत्थि च नत्थि च ' तिपि मे नो (अस्ति च नास्ति च इत्यपि मे नो )
'नेवत्थि न नत्थिति पि मे नो (नैवास्ति न नास्तीति अपि मे नो)
These are the four modes of expression resorted to by Sanjaya Belaṭṭhiputta. In Jainism we have seven modes of expression known as saptabhangi.
3 See Dhruva's intro. (p. L X X v) to SM.
4 See Nayadhammakahā (I, V, s. 55) quoted on p. CXII.
5 Herein we see the three fundamental bhangas which lead to seven when they are also taken two at a time and all together. See P. CXI. 6 See An Introduction to Indian Philosophy (p. 90).