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The Doctrine of Anekanta and its
Significance
B. K. Khadabadi
Ahiṁsā-non-violence or non-hurting, aparigraha-putting limitation to one's worldly possessions and anekānta-non-absolutism are the fundamental tenets or doctrines in Jainism ; and they prominently stand as unique contribution to human thought and life. Among these ahimsä holds the key position ; the other two can be said to be its extended forms on other realms of man's life. Ahiṁsā plays the cardinal role in man's ethical discipline ; aparigraha or rather parimita-parigraha - limited possessions or iccha-parimāņa - putting limitation to one's desire, happens to be its one extended role on man's socio-economic plane and anekānta-drsti-non-absolutistic attitude, the other extended role on the plane of thought.
Philosophically speaking anekānta is the name of Reality which is complex and according to which every object possesses indefinite aspects or characteristics. Dr. T. G Kalghatgi elucidates it as follows: anekānta consists in the many sided approach to the study of problems. It arose as an antidote to the one-sided or absolute approach (ekānta) to the study of Reality of philosophers in those good old days Pt. K. C. Shastri explains the same at some length and with a few technicalities and illustrations ;
Any object, by virtue of its possessing several characteristics, is aneka-dharmātmaka - dharma meaning characteristic, and hence, anekāntātmaka. An object may be said to be nitya imperishable from one point of view and anitya--perishable from another point of view at the same time This statement, on the face of it, seems to be contradictory, but is the right one for having the full and correct knowledge of the object or Reality. Because from the point of view of dravya -substance, the object is imperishable and from the point of
1 Jaina Logic, Ahimsa Mandir, New Delhi, 1981, p. 8. 2 Bharatiya Dharma evam Ahimsa, Ahimsa Mandir, New Delhi, 1983, pp. 143-151.
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