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VII J
COMPARISON AND EVALUATION
(s. 110)
"जे अणन्नदंसी से अणणारामे; जे अणणारामे से अणन्नदखी. " ( s. 102 ) "जे पज्जवज्जायसत्थस्स खेयण्णे से असत्थस्स खेयण्णे; जे असत्थस्स खेयणे से पज्जवज्जायसत्थस्स खेयण्णे. " "जं जाणिज्जा उच्चालइयं तं जाणिज्जा दूरालइयं; ज जाणिज्जा दूरालइयं तं जाणिज्जा उच्चालइयं. " "जे एगं जाणइ से सव्वं जाणइ; जे सव्वं जाणइ से एगं जाणइ . " ( s. 123 )
(s. 119)
66
जे आसवा ते परिस्सबा, जे परिस्सवा ते आसवा.” (s. 131) " जे अणासवा ते अपरिस्तवा, जे अपरिस्सवा ते अणासवा.” (s. 131 )
217
Praśnottara paddhati-We are even now in the dark about many things and phenomena. One of the ways to remove this darkness and to aquire the right sort of knowledge is to make an inquiry. This means putting questions either to oneself or to some one else who can enlighten us on the point concerned. Usually the latter course is easy to be followed.' This leads to a formation of prasnottara paddhati -a method adopted and approved of by even the present educational system. In this method, it is necessary to select pregnant questions. It is perhaps a peculiar feature of the Jaina canon that herein we come across entire works embodying such questions. They are Viahapannatti, Pannavaṇā, Nandi and Anuogaddāra. Out of them the first comprises thirtysix thousand (36,000) questions.
Ethics-The Jaina ethics is not without its specialities. The doctrine of ahimsa forms the corner-stone of Jaina ethics, and its treatment and scope hold practically a unique place even when other systems of Indian thought which appreciate the virtue of ahimsa, are taken into account. The doctrine of ahimsa is not so
1
Indrabhuti and others did so.
2
It appears that this subject has not attracted as much attention of the scholars as it should, though there are materials whereby a comprehensive treatise can be written in this connection. I know of only three attempts made in this direction. One of them was made by Dr. Charlotte Krause as can be seen from her article An interpretation of Jaina Ethics. I think she has written another article in this connection, and it has been published in some standard journal of India. I remember to have read one article in German where the Jaina view about ethics was compared with the Zoroastrian one; but I am not in a position at present to specify the source.
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