Jainism and Mahavira

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Digambar Jain Sahitya Sanskriti Sanskaran Samiti

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Theory of Anekantavada
The Universe is a composite of groups consisting of adverse pairs like knowledge and ignorance, pleasure and sorrow, life and death and so on. Life depends on such adverse groups. All the groups have their own interests, which create clashes and conflicts in thinking among themselves. Religion is supposed to pacify these clashes through co-existence on socialistic pattern of society. The co-existence cannot be remained without relativity.
Jaina philosophy is based on the nature of reality which is considered through non-absolutism (Anekantavada). According to this view, reality possesses infinite characteristics which cannot be perceived or known at once by any ordinary man. Different people think about different aspects of the same reality and therefore their partial findings are contradictory to one another. Hence they indulge in debates claiming that each of them was completely true. The Jaina philosophers thought over this conflict and tried to reveal the whole truth. They established the theory of a Non-absolutistics standpoint Anekantavada with its two wings, Nayavada and Syadvada. Proper understanding of the co-existence of mutually opposing groups through these principles rescues one from conflicts. Mutual co-operation is the Law of Nature21.
Things are visible and invisible as well. We stand by visible objects and accept them as they surely are but do not recognise their invisible characteristics. Until and unless one does not recognise both these characters of an object, he cannot reach to the truth and justice. None is absolutely similar or dissimilar, friend or enemy, good or bad. As a matter of fact, every entity hides in itself the innumerable possiblities. Coal can be converted into the state of a diamond or coal is the first stage of diamond. This is the conception of Anekantavada. It should be remembered here that total impossibility of becoming is very rare,. Rational cannot be irrational and irrational cannot be rational. On the contrary, it can be converted into some thing else. One becomes desperate as he does not under-stand the theory of relativity. He forgets that the modes are not imperishable. They are to be changed. Sorrow can be converted into pleasure. Absoluteness has no meaning in any field. Substance cannot be fully explained without the assistance of Anekantavada. Life itself cannot be properly understood without 21. Parasparo pagrho jivanam - Tattvarthasutra, 5.21.
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