Aspects of Jaina Religion

Author(s): Vilas Sangve
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 51

Doctrines of Jainism :: 47
are the sub-divisions of parayāyārthika naya as they are concerned with modifications of substances.
Similarly, the first four nayas are called artha nayas in as much as they deal with objects of knowledge, whereas the remaining three nayas are called sabda nayas in as much as they pertain to terms and their meanings.
Further, each one of these nayas is considered to have one hundred sub-divisions. Thus, according to this view, there are seven hundred nayas.
We find that two other views are also expressed, viz., (a) that there are only six nayas, i.e., the nayas (the seven
mentioned above) with the exclusion of the first
naya, i.e., the naigama naya, and (b) that there are only five nayas, in the sense that the
last two nayas (of the above-mentioned seven nayas), viz., the samabhirūdha naya and the evambhūta naya are included in the fifth (of the above mentioned seven nayas) naya, viz., the sabda naya.
(3) Significance of Nayavāda
Nayavāda is a warning to those philosophers who assert that their system is absolute and all-comprehensive. It shows the way to a reconciliation of conflicting view-points and harmonization of all stand-points by appreciating the relativity of the different aspects of reality.
But it is pertinent to note that nayas reveal only a part of the totality and that they should not be mistaken for the whole. Because of this infinite-fold constitution of a thing, there can be infinite nayas and they can be classified into various categories. As naya is defined by Saint Acharya Akalanka, the reputed philosopher-author, as Nayo jñātur abhiprāyaḥ, (+47 siguriert:) i.e., naya is a particular approach of the knower, a synthesis of these different view-points is a practical necessity; therein every view-point must be able to retain its relative importance and this is fulfilled by the doctrine of syādvāda, i.e., the doctrine of qualified assertion