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THE AGE OF LOGIC
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but not at all by another. In the case of Mallavadi's text too we find that much criticism that is here levelled by one system against another is such as can be levelled against it by any other system. And even in the remaining part of his presentation of such mutual criticism Mallavadi is almost always careful not to put into a disputant's mouth something which he as a matter of fact would not say, but there are exceptions of one particular kind. For, now and then Mallavadi will make a disputant plead quietly to charge that he is embracing the Jaina position in connection with the ques. tion under consideration --- something which this disputant will never in fact do. ( Remember how the disputant of the first chapter appealed to the authority of the Lord of Doctrinal views, meaning of course the Jaina doctrine of syadvada9 ). Hence it is that it would have been better if MallaVadi gave us his exposition of a philosophical system and his criticism of it; (that would have meant some change - extremely insignificant, on the whole - in the criticism part of the text as it now stands but it would have been definitely more honest).
This is about all that can be said about the solid contribution of Mallavādi's Nayacakra but a debatable point remains to be raised. For in the twelve chapters of his text Mallavadı has not only given us critical exposition of some seventeen philosophical systems but he has also thought fit to assign these systems to the traditional seven nayas and to the twelve categories vidhi, vidhi -vidhi, etc. On the face of it this part of his endeavour deserves equally -- if not more — serious attention; for an average student of Jaina philosophy will be most interested in knowing what a titan like Mallavadi has to say by way of evaluating the non-Jaina philosophical systems in terms of the doctrine of Anekāntavāda as traditionally developed. However, such a student is bound to be disappointed inasmuch as Mallavādi has treated this question in a most perfunctory fashion. Thus at the fag end of each chapter he raises the question as to which of the seven traditional nayas would accomodate the system (or systems) dealt with in it. In each case the answer forthcoming is extremely brief; in fact, it virtually amounts to a mere naming of the naya concerned, for what then follows is a terse particular etymology of the word dravya in the case of the first six chapters and and that of the word paryaya in the case of the last six (it being understood that the three nayas covered in the first six chapters are dravyāstikanaya while the four coverd in the last six are paryayastikanaya). And in most cases whatever little is said makes little sense precisely because it seems to have little relation to what we otherwise know about seven nayas. Not that the accounts of these nayas available elsewhere are free from difficulties, but they certainly give us a fairly clear idea of what sort of considerations were raised in connection with elaborating the
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