Concept of Paryaya in Jain Philosophy

Author(s): S R Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Spiritual and Material Significance of the Concept of Paryaya 35 Milton said, "Mind in its own place, makes a hell out of heaven and a heaven out of hell". 16 The variegated moods of one person are due to the variegated modes of paryayas that operate consistently throughout - during birth and death and beyond it. Much water has flown down the bridge, time has slipped underneath our feet, but still enlightenment or self-realisation has not dawned and we continue to make tall claims of our material achievements, once again falling prey to the anti-essential i.e. deformed paryayas. The Fata-Morgan of these paryayas is so powerful that they manifest in so many ways and that the vibhava appears as svabhava. But the real self is devoid of all appellations and so the ancient seekers went on saying 'Neti-Neti-Neti', for the true self along with its paryayas is not a subject of intellection but that of experience. An understanding of the concept of paryaya alone makes ahimsa, anekanta and aparigraha possible. What is Ahimsa ? It is that state where there is no spiritual inertia in thought, word and deed, and the self is absorbed in infinity. It is a state in which the self is in samabhava, svaparyaya, suddhopayoga.. Anekanta enables one to understand the multi-faceted Reality inclusive of all its paryayas and attributes. As Schopenhauer puts it, " To see things purely as objects of understanding is to rise to freedom.17 The concept of paryaya enables us to accept our limitations and make our approach objective and synthetic, thus enhancing the landscape of our reflections. As A. N. Upadhye says, "The Jaina logician is a realist working with sound common sense; he is neither a skeptic nor agnostic. He does not want to ignore the relative or conditional character of the judgment arising out of the very nature of the object of knowledge. 19 Aparigraha means non-attachment or nonpossession of the para-paryayas. By parigraha Lord Mahavira never meant the external possessions but inertial and deformed paryayas towards anything other than one's own.. Through the concept of paryaya the way of the soul and the way of the world can be understood. From the above description we understand that the stoppage of influx of deformed paryayas is samvara and this is possible when the false identification of the jivatman with par-paryayas is terminated. As Hermes states, "for all that is born is corrupted to be born again,20 whether it is asubha or subha. But suddha is self-born and so is pure, uncorrupted and blemishless. Nirjara is caused through identification of asava with svaparyayas: and to remain