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Lord Mahavira and detachment from all worldly affairs are main tenets of Mahâvîra. Philosophy of Mahâvîra
Jaina philosophy of Mahâvîra is based on the nature of reality which is considered through non-absolutism (Anekantavada). The reality or substance in its opinion possesses innumerable attributes which cannot be perceived by an ordinary person, Language has its own limitation. Therefore one who perceives a thing partially, must be regarded as knowing one aspect of truth as his position permits him to grasp. Even though he is not in a possession of the entire truth, the aspect he has come to know cannot be altogether disregarded or ignored. The question arises as to how the whole truth or reality could be known. According to Jain standpoint, all the theories contain a certain degree of genuineness and hence should be accepted from a certain point of view; but the nature of reality in its entirely can be perceived only by means of the theory of manifoldness (Anekantavada). The Jaina philosophers synthesize all the opponents views under this theory. 50
Rudiments of Anekantavada are traceable in the Buddhist approach to questions where the Buddha used the words Ekamsa, Anekamsa, Thapaniya, Vibhajjavyakaraniya etc. corresponding to Anekantavada.51 In the propositions of Saccaka, Citta Gahapati and Dighanakha Paribbajaka, we can trace the first four predication (including Syadavaktavya) of Syadvada conception of Jainas. 52 There the Buddha and his followers levelled the charges like self contradiction of affirmative and negative characters, confusion and commingling etc. in the manifolded Anekantavada of Mahâvîra53 which is not true. They misunderstood the theory of Syadvada and Anekantavada, since they treated the dual characteristic of the nature of reality as absolutely different from each other.
Dual character of an entity means, each and every entity is universalized- cum- particularized (Samanaya - Visesatmaka) along with substance with modes (dravyaparyayatmaka).54 Here Dravya represents the universal character and Paryaya represents the particular character of a thing. A substance is Dyanamic (Parinami) in character. It means a thing is eternal from the real
