Jain Journal 2013 07

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

Page 32

Dr. Anupam Jash: The central philosophy of Jainism and Sri Ramakrishna's
points. Conflicting philosophical theories are treated by the Jaina philosophers as viewing the same reality from different points of view. Reality has infinite characters, and it can be viewed from different standpoints. According to the Jaina thinkers, truth can be grasped only by affirming, integrating and synthesizing all the opposite viewpoints in regard to the same real. “Truth is one and there are various ways of approaching it ---this is really a great truth propounded by the doctrine of anekāntavāda which leads us to understand the truth comprehensively and at the same time shows the liberal and all compromising spirit of Jainism.
Anekāntavāda is regarded as the central philosophy of Jainism. This is a theory of many sidedness of reality and truth. The law of anekāntavāda affirms that there is no opposition between the unity of being and plurality of aspects. The identity of real is not contradicted by the possession of varying attributes.
The synoptic presentation of reality by anekāntavāda gives a true picture of reality in all its aspects and that is the essence of the Jaina outlook, which helps to remove the intellectual cobwebs arising out of ekānta. H. M. Bhattacharyya in his article The Anekāntavāda of the Jainism says', anekāntavāda is a fundamental doctrine, which forms the keynote to the philosophy of the Jainas. Anekāntavāda or the doctrine of many-sidedness of reality of the Jainas is a distinctive contribution to Indian thought in so far as realistic metaphysics and epistemology are concerned.
The anekānta theory is the heart of Jaina ontology, epistemology and logic. It claims the many-sidedness of reality, its knowledge and its verbal expression. If reality is infinitely manifold logically there must be infinite ways of intellectually congnizing it and verbally expressing its infinite aspects. This presupposition enables one to harmonize various apparently contradictory descriptions of reality into one.
The approach of anekānta theory is based on the acceptance of