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116 First Steps to Jainism
3. Relativism
3.1. It would be of interest to consider some further aspects of Jaina logic. The points to be stressed are that Jaina thought is non-absolutist (that is, it is relativist) and realist. Siddhasena Diväkara (480-550 A. D.) in Nyayavatara (which is accepted as the earliest Jaina work on pure logic at present available) gave an exposition of syadvada (knowledge of the all-sided method) of which the authentic text is as described below:
"Syadvada, which literally signifies assertion of possibilities, seeks to ascertain the meaning of things from all possible standpoints. Things are neither existent nor nonexistent absolutely Syad which signifies "may be" denotes all these seven possibilities, that is, a thing may be looked at from one of the above seven points of view, there being no eighth alternative."
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3.2. It has been pointed out that:
"All objects are multiform (anekanta) according to him (i.e. the Jaina). From their many-sided nature it follows that all judgments are relative. They are true under certain conditions. They are conditional or hypothetical. No judgments are absolutely true. The word "perhaps" must be added to all judgements to indicate their conditional character. This is Syadvada or the doctrine of relativity of judgments."
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"The Jains emphasize manifold nature of real things which are endowed with infinite qualities, modes, and relations to the other things. They have identity-in-difference. The Vedantists emphasize pure identity and deny plurality. The jainas emphasize manifoldness of inter-related reals and deny pure identity. They are anti-Absolutists. They are advocates of relative pluralism."*
3.3. It has been also pointed out that:
1. Nyayavatara edited by Satis Chandra Vidyabhusana. (Indian Research Society, Calcutta, 1909), pp. 29-30.
2. J.Sinha, HIP, vol. II, 1952, pp. 205-206.
3. It is worth noting that the Jaina view in this respect has much similarity to A. N. White-head's "'inexhaustibility of nature." Also cf. V.I. Lenin: "Materialism and Empiriocriticism."
4. J. Sinha, HIP, vol. II, 1952, pp. 208.
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