Anekantavada

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Atmanand Jain Sabha

Page 39

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The Anekānta-vada is knowledge about things and like all such knowledge, it must refer to some fundamental and ultimate conditions. Some of these conditions may best be considered in connection with the ordinary statement of one's experience. A man, for instance, says This mango-tree bears fruits". This statement bodies certainly a piece of undivided cognition on the part of the man i. e., an experienced whole but analysed, it is found to imply many prerequisites and pre-conditions, some of which are as follows:
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(i) First of all, in order that the experience may be possible, the expriencer i. e., the know. ing subject must have an existential persistence. To have the experience of a fruit-bearing mango-tree, one must be supposed to be a real cognising being, having some stability in existence and not an unsubstantial shadow or absolute restlessness for which no conscious experience is possible.
(ii) Secondly, for the purpose of the experience its object the mango-tree must also be premised to be an actual stable real, outside its experiencer. An absolute non-est, a perfect void, cannot be the object of any one's knowledge.
(iii) It may next be said that in order that