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Multi-dimensional Application of Anekāntavāda
and giving shelter to his target, graciously sat down near him for some time, rested and then majestically went away. Anderson was startled on learning from Muni that animals are great psychologists and that the lion did not attack, as I had no intention to attack him. The sahib took to vegetarianism as repentance. The Egyptians also believed that if you are confronted with a snake, go naked i.e. armless and snake considered, as a killer will turn non-killer. The reason is the law of nature is co-operation or co-existence and not destruction. In the scheme of Nature both the predators (those animals who prey upon others) and those who are preyed upon are both necessary for their mutual existence. This is the conclusion of zoologists. The Anekāntavādi Ācāryas laid down the dictum ‘parasparopagraho jīvānām'meaning thereby the living beings are interdependent though they may possess opposite tendencies or traits. The great exponent of Anekāntavāda Ācārya Hemacandra described this conglomeration of living beings as (the theory of infinite living beings) who were born, continue to live on, and will be born) In his words- Jivana Jivanti jivisyanti ceti jīvā. The one-sided view that the animal specially the ferocious ones have no right to exist is ekānta and not Anekānta .
We hear so much about that theory of Darwin, which advocates survival of the fittest. I may state that his theory of evolution of life has been proved hollow as four million-year-old fossils of species stated by him as extinct have been found. Clyde F. Herreid, author of Biology says, “These stages, a biogenesis of molecules, their combination into complex ones and evolution into cell are speculative for nothing is actually known at present of how the first living system evolved or what it was like.”
The worst effect of this theory formulated on the basis of old bones was on the German Psche, which considered itself the fittest to rule over the world. This uni-view in place of multi-view resulted in two world wars or a vicious environment. It is this catastrophe that prompted the United Nations Charter to begin with the aphorism: Wars begin in the minds of man.
In democracy also we see the play of Anekānta. In it, there is
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