________________
think is self-complete truth, what my religious text says is true, this sort of perception towards anything creates commotion in the society by way of communal and religious disharmony. Even in the Sūyagado. 'Mahavira says, those who praise their own faith and ideologies and blame those of their opponents and thus they distort the truth and will remain confined to the cycle of birth and death. Thus Jains always held that it is wrong if not dangerous,to presume that one's own creed alone represents truth. Tolerance is, therefore, the characteristic of Jain ideology as propounded by Mahāvīra.? The need of the present state of society is to review the conditions of families, where we see non-healthy relations between the members of the families. The ever-increasing numbers of divorces is the clear witness of the deterioration in the level of tolerance in the present era. The greatest outcome of anekānta is that, it teaches us to accept a tinge of truth in others viewpoint and once it is realized man begins to understand and tolerate others. I think this tolerance has a deep sense in itself and can solve the many present day social problems. 5.6 Leadership and Anekāntic Decision Making
It is a common misconception that anekānta philosophy asserts that everybody is right. It doesn't lead a person anywhere, but just leaves him/her hanging in the middle. The theory of anekānta, if reflected upon deeply, leads to a definite conclusion. Tirtharkara Mahāvīra says, every decision has four components namely matter (dravya), place (ksetra), time (kāla) and state (bhāva). On the basis of these four components,
Sūyagado. Ed. Mahāprajña. With Prakrit text, Sanskrit Rendering and Hindi
Version with Notes. Ladnun: Jain Vishva Bhāratī, 2002, verse-1.1.2.23. ? Vilas A. Sanghave, Aspects of Jaina Religion. Delhi: Bharatiya Jnanpith,
1999, p. 156. Bhagavati Sūtra. op.cit., 2.44-45; Mahāprajña. Anekānta Hein Tisra Netra. op.cit., p, 76.
141
