Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature

Author(s): Vasantkumar Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah, Dinanath Sharma
Publisher: Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smarak Nidhi Ahmedabad

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Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature
inferential, and also testimonial depending on the situation. From the words of a trustworthy person an individual can know of the existence of fire in a distant place. He may go towards the locus of fire. When he goes certain distance, he sees smoke arising from a place by which he infers the existence of fire. When he goes nearest to the fire, he perceives the same with his own eyes',
From the above discussion it may be concluded that the anekāntavāda or syādvāda of the Jaina-logicians is grounded on sound logic. Each and every individual has liberty to describe an object according to his own feeling, impression, presupposition, culture etc. As these are determining factors of describing some entity, the description may be of diverse types. This is one side of the anekāntavāda or syādvāda. One question may be raised in this context whether the presupposition, culture, feeling etc. lead us to describe an entity in different ways or the entity itself bears diverse modes for which it is described in various ways by an individual. Hemacandra will favour the latter alternative. To him an object is capable of being described in diverse ways as it is endowed with intrinsic diverse nature. This view may be justified from the fact that one can interpret a particular sentence or text in different ways according to one's culture, presupposition etc. if the object (sentence or text) is capable of being interpreted. Had there been no such possibility, no one could have given diverse interpretations. Hence, the entity itself bears nature of diverse types, which substantiates Hemacandra's position.
Annotations : 1. “Tathā hidravya-paryāyayoraikāntika-bhedābheda-parihāreņa kathañcidbhedābhe
davādaḥ syādvādibhirupeyate, na cāsau yukto virodhădidoşăt-vidhi-pratiședharūpayorekatra vastunyasambhavānnilanilavat."
Pramānamīmāṁsā, 1.1.32, Prose portion - 130. 2. “Atha kenacidrūpeṇa bhedaḥ kenacidabhedaḥ, evaṁsati bhedasyā-nyadadhikaraṇama
bhedasya cânyaditi vaiyadhikaranyam.” Ibid. 3. "Yam câtmānam purodhāya bhedo yam cäsrityäbhedastāvapyātmånau bhinäbhin
nāvanyathaikāntavādaprasaktistathā ca satyanavasthā.” Ibid. 4. "Yena ca rūpeṇa bhedastena bhedaścābhedaśca yena cābhedastenăpyabhedaśca
bhedaśceti samkaraḥ.” Ibid. 5. “Yena rūpeṇa bhedastenābhedo yenābhedastena bheda iti vyatikaraḥ." Ibid. 6. “Bhedābhedātmakatve ca vastuno viviktenākārena niścetumaśakteh samsayah." Ibid.