Jain Journal 2010 07

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 51

BOOK REVIEW
Jaina theory of Multiple Facets of Reality and Truth (Anekāntavāda), Edited by Nagin J. Shah, Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass Pvt. Ltd., 2000, pp.xvi+148.ISBN 81-208-1707-9, Rs. 200.00
Anekāntavāda--the Jaina theory of multiple facets of reality and truth, is so fundamental and central to Jaina metaphysics, epistemology and logic that the entire Jaina system came to be known by the name of Anekānta Darsana. The theory consists its most original and brilliant
ontribution to philosophical thought and understanding. In the field of philosophy, Jainism has added a new dimension by propounding the doctrine of non-one-sided nature of reality but it is, however, a pity that Jainism has not aroused as much interest by the scholar as Other Indian Philosophical schools like Buddhism, Nyāya and Vedānta.
E. Frauwallner in his foreword to "Jaina Theories of Reality and Knowledge” also observes: “During the whole period of Indian philosphy, Jainism has not been attended to very much by the other systems. Whatever the causes for this negligence might have been, the history of Jainism during this time is still a potential object of thorough research”.
This valuable book sets out to fill this gap by offering a concise presentation of anekānta philosophy in English. This valume rest on a collections of nine papers on anekāntavāda contributed to a seminar held on 1990, under the auspices of the Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology, Delhi. This collection of papers by leading thinkers was originally commissioned by late Dr. Bimal K Matilal, Emeritus Professor of Oxford University, U.K. After Motilal's untimely death, the editing of this volume was completed by Dr. Nagin J Shah. Beside the papers presented in the said seminar it have been added a reprint of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya's This Jaina theory of Anekānta' and also Atsushi Uno's refreshingly text based 'A Study of Syādvāda', owing to their great importance in the field of Jaina studies.
The foremost article "Anekānta: Both Yes and No," written by Bimal K. Matilal, is a most important contribution in the field of anekānta studies as well as in his earlier book, "The Central Philosphy of Jainism (Anekāntavāda)” (Ahmedabad: L.D. Institute of Indology, 1981). This paper shows how the Jaina theory that 'everything in nonone-sided' is metametaphysical and avoids the charges of irrationality and unintelligibility, K.C. Bhattacharyya in his attractive article