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ANEKANTAVADA-SYADVADA
305
subsequent, cause and effect, good and bad, ugly and beautiful, is high impossible for intellect.. The view taken by intellect is never a whole view. It is always a partial view... it is merely a relative view-relative to the beliefs, prejudices, mood and purpose of the seer. 9
It is common knowledge that different thinkers have taken differing views of the universe. The theories propounded are nihilism, dualism, monism, materialism, atheism and so on. Each of these expresses a point of the many and the points of view are obviously many. Each view is true from the particular stand-point of the seer and none of them is exhaustive.
To analyse and grasp the individual point of view (naya) is the function of Nayavāda. According to Umāsvāmi knowledge is obtained by means of Pramāṇa and Naya.10 Pramāņa is valid knowledge of itself and of things not proved before. 11 It is the instrumental cause of right knowledge which must be free from doubt, vagueness and perversity. Lack of discrimination between the real and unreal is the cause of wrong knowledge. Mental or physical disturbances create wrong attitude which again is the cause of wrong knowledge. Objects possess different characteristics which can be comprehended by onniscience only. Human perception and knowledge have their own limitations and hence we often take a partial view of thing. This is Naya; it deals with a particular aspect which the speaker has in view; it is therefore a theory of stand-points : 74: HTETETU:
Nayavāda :
A Naya, therefore, deals with only the particular aspect in view of the speaker but it does not deny the existence of the remaining attributes. When we speak of the colour of gold, we have no mention of its weight, touch, taste, smell and other attributes but our statement does not mean that gold is devoid of all other attibutes besides colour. 12
Pūjyapāda has defined Naya as the device which is capable of determining truly one of the several characteristics of an object
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