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

Previous | Next

Page 357
________________ CHAPTER XI 337 That is, no modal assertion, or proposition,-simple or complex; affirmative, negative or both,-can, at once, express anything other than an aspect (prakāra) of the truth of a thing. The full truth, or rather the synthesis of truths, can result only from a well-ordered scheme of propositions (vacanavinyāsa). Each proposition is, therefore, relative to, or alternative with, the other propositions which, in their totality, present the full of the thing with respect to the particular attribute predicated of it. The Jaina maintains that saptabhangī offers such a well-ordered scheme in which the modes (bhangas) are exclusive of one another, but are at the same time, in their totality, exhaustive of the many-sided truth of the indeterminate real under discussion. It has just been noted that the term 'syādvāda' means conditional or relativistic dialectic and is synonymous with * saptabhangi'. We may examine, somewhat more closely, the meaning of this term owing to its well-merited importance in the system : The name 'syädvāda' is due to the prefix'syāt' which is an invariable accompaniment of every predication. This particle 'syāt' which is treated by most of the Jaina writers as an indeclinable' (avyaya) although, generally, modern writers—some of them perhaps unknowingly—consider it in its obvious sense of being a form derived from the Sanskrit root 'as' (to be) in the potential mood, third form, singular.' Another term equi 1. See infra, p. 338, f.n. 3. See also Nyāyakusumāñjali by Muni Nyāyavijaya, ed. H. R. Kapadia, Bombay, 1922, p. 177. For the other several meanings 'of' syāt' as an indeclinable, see AJP, Vol. II, Intro. p. CXV, f.n.2. 2. OIP, p. 163. 22

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 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