Book Title: Comparative Study Of Jaina Theories Of Reality And Knowledge
Author(s): Y J Padmarajaiah
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Vikas Mandal

Previous | Next

Page 349
________________ 1. CHAPTER X 329 is not likely to give considerably more light on the nature, the significance and the function of the analytical method of nayavāda than can be done by a consideration of the most fundamental division of categories (viz. dravyārthikanaya and paryāyārthikanaya) and of the seven viewpoints based thereon. Hence the present chapter has confined itself to the treatment of only the essential aspects of the subject. The various standpoints outlined in course of this chapter offer an analysis of the manifold reality from their respective angles of vision. Such an analysis results in a wealth of partial truths which will be harmonised into a coherent scheme of knowledge by the employment of the synthetical method of syādvāda' which will be dealt with in the next chapter. The complementary functions of the two methods, viz., nayavāda and syādvāda, remind us of the oft-quoted parable of the elephant and the blind men. To express the same truth after Siddhasena Divākara's analogy nayas offer the discrete (visañjutta) or individual jewels (mani) which are strung together, by means of syödvāda, into a necklace (rayaņāvali).' standard works like UBJ and its comm., SRK, TSV, STP and its comm., and NKC. The mutual necessity, or the complementary character of the two methods, viz., nayavāda and syādvāda, as well as the corrective character of nayavāda, in relation to the dogmatic (ekānta) character of the 'closed' systems of philosophy (this aspect of the problem will be presently touched upon in the next paragraph) is suggestively expressed by Devasena as follows: yasmānnayena vinā bhavati narasya syādvādapratipattiḥ// tamät sa boddhavya ekāntañ hantukāmena/l Laghunayacakram, kā. 3. 2. See STP, I, gāthas 22-25.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446