Lessons of Ahimsa and Anekanta for Contemporary Life

Author(s): Tara Sethia
Publisher: California State Polytechnic University Pomona

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Lessons of Ahimsa and Anekanta for Contemporary Life
Mahavira: It is effected by effort and also occurs spontaneously."
What do we learn from the above conversations, especially from Mahavira's responses to the various questions? Through his responses, Mahāvīra demonstrated the complex and multiple aspects of reality. A definitive or a simple response of choosing the "either" "or" would not have allowed him to explain the complex nature of reality with many sides to its existence. As an omniscient being--with infinite knowledge at his disposal-Mahavira recognized that truth or reality can be experienced but cannot be expressed in its entirety through the medium of language. Moreover, it is important to note that Mahāvīra did not propound the truth. Rather, he was interpreting it through his infinite knowledge and omniscience. Even the kevalīn or omniscient do not have the capacity to express in words the reality in its myriad dimensions due to the limits of language. Elsewhere, Mahāvīra underscored this fact, "Where there is truth, from there language returns, neither intellect, nor thoughts nor even the mind goes there." For example, we can experience the sweetness of sugar, but we cannot totally express the sweetness through language.
While operating within the limits of language and seeing the complex nature of reality with its multiple aspects, Mahāvīra used the language of naya. Naya (partial expression of truth) enables us to comprehend the reality part by part. There are two kinds of naya-niśchaya naya and vyavahara naya. niśchaya naya enables us to understand the reality from the view-point of the substance without denying the existence of modes. vyavahara naya allows us to comprehend the reality from the perspective of its attributes and modes but doesn't deny the existence of
6 Bhagavati Sūtra, op. cit., quoted from Acarya Mahāprajña, Anekānta: Views and Issues (Ladnun: JVBI, 2001), p. 21.
'Savve sara niyatṭanti! Takka Jatha na vijjayi! Mayi tattha na gahiya! Ayaro Sūtra (Ladnun: Jain Vishva Bharti, 1981): 5/123-125.
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