Book Title: ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 02
Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies
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The age of canonical texts and literature of Jainism was the millennium following Mahāvīra. This age was followed by an era of philosophical writings. The Jain ācāryas felt a serious need to construct new terminology for explaining the import and importance of Naya to the contemporaneous world. “In large part such an initiative was inspired by the necessities of the time, which was characterized by the ongoing philosophical and logical debated about the nature of reality often giving rise to competition and engendering conflicts among the debaters. The major Indian traditions attempted to explain the efficacy, worth and validity of their own points of views about the nature of reality. The Vedāntists held the view of one ultimate unchanging reality, Brahmart, whereas for the Buddhists everything was in flux and momentary.3
During the first century AD, Ācārya Umāsvāti (also known as Umāsvāmi) undertook the task of defining the reality in his famous treatise Tattvārtha-sūtra on the basis of Mahāvīra's teaching. He articulated three levels for the comprehension of reality: permanence, origination and cessation (or end).4 Ācārya Siddhasena Divākara, taking a step ahead from Ācārya Umāsvāti, came up with the new terminology anekānta to reconcile the apparently opposing perspectives on the nature of truth and reality. The concept of naya is a part of the anekāntavāda. Siddhasena's main treatises which explain anekānta and naya are Sanmatitarka and Nyāyāvatāra.5 Nayavāda recognizes that ordinary, non-omniscient, knowledge claims they are based. Consequently, claims from one perspective must always be balanced and complemented by the claims from other perspectives.
2.2. kinds of Naya
1 Tattvārtha-sútra, by- Acārya Umāsvami, Ed. By - Pt. Phool Chand Shastri, Chapter - 1, Sūtra - 6, Published by Shri Ganeshvarni Digambara Jain Research Institute, Varanasi - (U.P.) Second - 1991, Pp-10 2 Laghīyastraya, by Acārya Aklankadeva, Trans. Pt. Kailashchandra Shashtri, Third Pravacanapraveśa, Sixth Pravacana Pariccheda, Kärikä 52 Pub. Shri Ganeshvarni Digambar Jain Research Institute, Varanasi (U.P.) First-2000, pp 77 3 Pramāna-naya-tattvāloka - by Shri Vādideva Sūri, Ed. Panyas Arun vijayaji Maharaj, Chapter 7, Sūtra - 1, Pub. Shri Mahvir Vidyapeeth Kalyana Kendra, Bombay, Second - 1994, Pp. 190 4 Nayachakko, by Shri Mailla Dhavala, Ed. Pt. Kailash Chandra Shashtri Gatha171, Pub. Bharatiya Jnanpith, New Delhi, Third-2001, Pp.98 5 Sammati Tarka - Sidhasena Divākara. Eng. Version Pt. Sukhlal Sanghvi, Bechardas Doshi, Chapter-III, Gathā -47, Pp. 164. 6 Samayasara-by Kundakunda, commentary by Acharya Amrtcandra, Bandhadhikāra, Gātha - 272, Published by Kundakunda Kahan Digambara Jain Teerth Trust, Jaipur-15, Tenth-1995, Pp. 434.
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0
