Anekantavada

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

Page 42

each other but are to be taken as factors, threein-one, constituting the concrete reality, both factual and experiential.
The third condition of knowledge indicated above means that when suitably conditioned, the subject and the object come into relationship with one another,-that is, the subject knows the object and the object is known by the subject. The fourth condition of knowledge is that language expresses the thoughts of the speaker as well as the true relationships between the object of knowledge.
However obvious psychologically the above four conditions of knowledge and reality may appear to be, each of them has been considered from a metaphysical stand-point and subjected to & relentless criticism
The Buddhists of the nihilist school ( Sūnyaváda ) contend that there is no persisting substance either as the object or as the subject of knowledge. As regards the objects of knowledge they point out that they are generally material but that matter cannot be an ultimate reality. The ultimate matter cannot be 'gross' for, all gross matter is subject to division and consequent dissolution and destruction. Neither can we say that the ultimate real matter is atomic. ' If we hold that atoms