Jain Journal 2012 07

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

Page 28

Anupam Jash: Jaina Logic of Syädvāda-Saptabhangīnaya
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yaj-jñānam syādvāda-naya-samskytań"}. i.e., the knowledge of realities and pramāņa cognizes all its aspects in one sweep, like the perception of an elephant by several blind persons, each of them touches the different part of the body and forms a wrong idea. The ordinary human being cannot rise above the limitations of his senses. Only the method of Syādvāda purifies our knowledge by stating our approach to the knowledge of reality gradually or in succession.
Professor Bhagchandra Jain rightly observes that, syādvāda promotes catholic outlook of many-sided approach to the problem of knowledge of reality. It is anti-dogmatic and it presents a synoptic picture of reality from different points of view. Syādvāda expresses protest against one-sided, narrow, dogmatic presentation of knowledge and truth in fragments. It affirms that there are different facets of reality and they have to be understood and explained from various points of view.
Meaning of 'Syāt' in Syādvāda :
Professor John M Koller remarks, the uniqueness of the Jaina approach to an epistemological middle way lies in its use of the 'syāt' particle in predication. Indecd, for this uniqueness the sevenfold predication is called syādvāda'. Now the question is, what does the word 'syāt' mean? In ordinary Sanskrit usage, 'syāt', is the form of the verbal root ‘as' meaning 'exisť, 'Syāt' thus normally means “it could be, “it should be', ‘may be', or ‘it is possible that...'. But in the context of its usage as a technical term in Jaina philosophy, it is stipulated that 'syāt' is an indeclinable particle (nipāta), Jeffery D Longø says. Bimal Krishna Matilal, in his article 'Saptabhangi', says, “the uniqueness of the Jaina formula lies in its use of the 'syāt' particle in the predication. That is why the sevenfold predication (saptabhanginaya) of the Jainas is sometimes called Syādvāda'. Mattilal again says, etymologically, syāt'is derived from the root ‘as' + potential /optative third form, singular. Bhattoji Dikshita explained the optative suffix, lin, in one context, as expressing probability