Multidimensional Application of Anekantavada

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain, Shreeprakash Pandey, Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Multi-dimensional Application of Anekantavāda
Naya, therefore, is nothing but a unique individual perception of an object in relative terms. Reality being multifaceted, the number of Nayas or multi numbered or infinite. Anekāntavādais a synthesis of all different viewpoints. Illustrations: 1. Let me illustrate the process of decoding of words and language, e.g.
this is a boy?'. This is a simple statement. A statement is opinion or viewpoint given by the speaker. The speaker has seen the object “boy” and he wants to identify the object as "boy”. It is a meaningful statement. There is an object for study or observation. The task is to identify the object. Identification of the object has been made as "boy”. The term “boy” is an object. The term “boy” represents a class of object; that class has been named as “boy”. “Boy” is not a specific name, but it is a name of class or group of objects. It means there are many objects having similar characteristic properties, specifications having common features and it has been sorted out into one class or group and named as “boy”. A word is a symbol representing a specific particular object i.e. "boy”. The term “boy” denotes meaning. It distinguishes its class from other alternative classes. The term 'boy' means there is no class of "girls". The term “boy” is opposite to the term "girls”. The term “boy” is also opposite to various other terms like "Old man” or “Child" or “Woman”.
The term “boy” is a sub-group of the major group “humanbeing”. The major group “human-being" comprises many sub-groups or sub-classes viz. “males & females”, "boys & girls”, “child & old man”, “wife & husband” and so on. Thus, the term “boy” is one of the sub-groups of the term “human being”. From that point of view the term “boy” is specific particular aspect or feature of the term “humanbeing”. The statement points out a very unique aspect of a "humanbeing and names it as “boy”. The term "human-being” is also a class, which is a sub-class of its major class viz. "living being”. The “humanbeing" class is a different class from the class "animal”.
The term “living being” represents many sub-classes viz. "human-being”, “animal'' "vegetable”, “bird", "tree" and so on. The term "boy" also indicates that it is not any other class of “living being”,