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of Jainism presented and refuted only Advaita system of Vedanta in their writings. Even later writers who flourished after Rāmānuja and Madhya mentioned neither Visiştādvaita nor Dvaita system of Vedānta,
Criticism of Upanisadic ātmādvaita or brahmădvaita is found in early Jain Āgamas such as Sūtrakstānga, 6 and Viseşāvas yakabhāşya." The line of presentation and refutation of Advaita is more or less similar in all the major works of Jainism. Certain common features are found in both Jainism and Advaita Vedānta such as liberation as the highest goal of life, ignorance of Reality as the cause of our bondage, law of karma, jīvanniukti etc. Still in certain other matters both the systems are diametrically opposed to each other. Absolutism of Advaita Vedanta claims that, Reality is one without a second, this world is mere appearance and ultimately there is no difference between supreme Reality and individual soul, 8 Jainism is a system of realism, dualism and pluralism. It is a realism because it recognises the reality of the external world, it is a kind of dualism, because it advocates two fundamental realities the jīva (soul) and the ajīva(matter) which are obviously contradictorily related to each other, and a pluralism on account of belief in plurality of substance.10 Advaita Vedānta believes in absolute non-dualism while Jainism advocates non-absolutism or many-sided theory of Reality (anekantavāda). It rejects both the exterme view of absolute eternality as well as absolute non-existence. It is a system of unity in difference, of one-in-many and of identity-inchange. 11 According to Jainism Advaita Vedānta is one-sided theory which rejects particularities and emphasises only oneness of Reality.
6 evame geti jappanti manya arambhanissia ege kicca sayam pavam tiyyam dukkham
niyacchai-Sutrakrtanga, 1-10, and See 8, 9, 11, pp. 31-35 ed Ambikadatta Oza,
pub. Jaina Jnanodaya Society, Rajkot, V. S. 1993. 1 Visesavas yakabhasya (V.A.B.), II, gatha 2036-2045, pub. L. D. Institute of Indo
logy, Ahmedabad, 1968. 8 (a) brahmasat yam jaganmithya jivobrahmai va naparah-Brahmajnanavalimala,
verse 20. Works of Sri Sankaracarya, Vol. 16, p. 224, Vanivilas Press,
Srirangam. (b) Bhamati-mangala, verse 1, Brahmasutra Sankarabhasya with Ratnaprabha ;
Bhamati and Anandagiri Vyakhya, ed. Mahadev Shastri Bakre, pub. Nirnaya
sagara Press, Bombay, 1909. 9 Tattvarthadhigamasutra (T.S.) with Siddhasenagani Tika, 1-4, ed. H. R. Kapadia,
pub. J.S. Javeri, Bombay, 1926. 10 (a) T.S., I. v. 2.
(b) Pramananayat att valokalankara(P.N.T.), VII, 56, p. 560, ed. H. S. Bhattacharya, 11 pub. Jaina Sahitya Vikas Mandal, Bombay, 1967.
Saddarsana Samuccaya with Gunaratnasuri Tika, pp. 3-4, ed. Mahendra Kumar Jain, pub. Bharatiya Jnanapitha, Kasi, 1969.
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