Golden Steps To Salvation

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 38

3. ANEKANTA
(The Philosophy of Multiple Vision)
DEAR PEOPLE THAT LOVE CONCEPTUAL UNIFICATION!
Lord Mahavir unified by means of the philosophy of Anekantvad 363 powerful and divergent faiths which prevailed 2500 years ago.
Anekānta means viewing the same object from different angles of vision. The same man is father of his children, husband of his wife, uncle of his nephew, son of his father and brother of his brothers. There is no contradiction in his being all these things at the same time.
"Is a stone small or big?" The answer to this question is, "It is smaller than the rock and bigger than a small chip of the rock." In this manner the stone is at the same time small as well as big. There is no contradiction in this.
Anekāntvāda is briefly called Syādvāda. This is how it is defined.
एकस्मिन्वस्तुन्यविरुद्ध नानाधर्मस्वीकारो ही स्याद्वादः ॥ Ekasminvastunyaviruddhanānādharma sweekaro hi Syadvādaḥ.
"Syadvāda is the acceptance of several points of view of the same object, which are not really contradictory." Lord Mahavira has given this command.
न याsसियावाय वियागरेज्जा |
- सूत्रकृताङ
Na Yasiyavaya Viyagarejjā.
--Sutrakritanga
"Never make any statement which is devoid of Syadvada or the perception of multiple truths relating to an
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