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53
The bare knowledgeable also remains sectarian on account of his ego, etc.; he does not get the right path and stays unworthy (of liberation).
Jain Education International
Ätmasiddhi
Explanation & Discussion:
It was pointed out in stanza 28 that while observing restraints, etc. the lifeless ritualist cherishes the ego of being called a devotee. The same logic applies to the bare knowledgeable person. Such a person cherishes the ego of being called knowledgeable. If he accepts the truth, he has to admit that he was on the wrong path. That would hurt his ego. In order to preserve that ego, he shuns the right path and remains conceited. That is a wrong approach; it is Mithyätva. Hence, the bare knowledgeable person remains unworthy of liberation.
-31
This is mainly on account of undue insistence on absolute viewpoint. He does not realize that a Nay presents only one viewpoint with partial truth. It can be right from some perspective, but at best it is a relative truth. In order to arrive at the overall truth, one needs to take into consideration all the viewpoints. The truth thus lies in a combination of absolute (Nishchaya Nay) and practical (Vyavhär Nay) points of view. That is Syädväd, Anekäntväd, or multiplicity of viewpoints. It gives due importance to partial truth, and is the Jain theory of relativity. Resorting to only one viewpoint is Ekänt, which leads to an illusory conclusion. Such a one-sided viewpoint cannot be true, nor can it lead to the whole truth. This stanza therefore conveys that those, who exclusively insist on only Nishchay Nay, are Ekänti. They are far from the truth and cannot be considered as treading on the right path.
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