Golden Steps To Salvation

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

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water is flowing; The stick is moving; and we too are moving. All the four statements are true but if we discard ekanta or the single point of view, all the four statements will be wrong. How is it? Look! The river is stationary; water also is stationary but on account of the river's moving propensity, it moves in one direction. The stick by itself is stationary but if it is in water it moves. Because of the tendency of water to move, it also moves. We are sitting on the stick; we are neither swimming nor flowing." The frogs which believed in Ekāntavāda or the single point of view got angry because they could not tolerate the multiple-vision theory or Anekāntavāda of the fifth frog. The four frogs joined together and pushed the fifth frog into the water. Those who are fanatical and dogmatic about their point of view or Ekārtavāda can realise the truth only through expereince.
But those who believe in Anekāntavāda do not care for their lives. Those who do not have a logical argu. ment take reccurse to the sword. It is interesting to see how a great scholar defeated an emperor by means of the strength of his logic. Here is the story.
One day, the emperor proclaimed that those who uttered falsehood would be sentenced to death. Hearing the royal proclamation, a great scholar of the Court said. "I will come tomorrow. I will utter an untruth yet you will not be able to sentence me to death."
The next day, the scholar came to the court. When the door-keepers asked him for the purpose of his coming, "Today, I am going to be executed on the spear. The emperor has sent for me to execute me hence I have come to meet him."
The door-keepers conveyed this information to the emperor. The emperor admitted him into his presence but he could not order his execution. The scholar had told the door-keepers that the emperor had sent him to execute him on the spear. This was an untruth. Therefore, according to the proclamation he could be executed because he had spoken an untruth but on the previous