Jainism from the View Point of Vedantic Acaryas

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: B J Institute

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Jainism from the view point of Vedāntic Acāryas
stand point, but from the point of view of other matter, form, space and time. There is no room for contradiction (Syādvādamañjari, p. 176-177). When the Jainas say that from the standpoint of persisting substance, the person is eternal but from the stand point of model changes (paryāyas), the person is non-eternal, they do not make any self-contradictory assertion.
Again, there is no contradiction if we consider primary and secondary meanings of the speaker in each statement (37farfaffet: Tattvārthasūtra, V.31). In the sevenfold predication (Saptabhanginaya), existence and non-existence, both existence and non-existence successively and indescribability are attributed to a thing from different points of view. In all these cases, we have to consider primary and secondary meanings of the speaker. When the intention is to speak of a thing as successively existing and non-existing, the third mood is to be used i.e. syādasti syānnāsti ca). But when the intention is to speak of existence and nonexistence simultaneously, the two states being inexpressible at the same time, then it becomes indescribable. Because, language lacks an expression which can adequately express the simultaneous and combined application of both of the positive and the negative characters of an object.
Again, there is no place for contradiction in a thing which is cognised as such. One thing is supposed to be the opposite of another, when in the presence of one, the other is not perceived. But in a perceived thing, no question of contradiction arise, such as in the unitory