Nandanvana

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 81

Some Thoughts on Changes in Order of Some Jaina Chains ... : (61)
9. The Order of the Decad of Truths (Satya)
Truth is the second among the five-fold minor and major vows. It strengthens the observance of non-violence vocally. It is also an indirect component of the triads of yoga, carefulness and guards. Many texts mention ten varieties of truth from Sth.33 to Rājavārtika ** (i.e. from pre-Christian era to tenth century A.D.) as shown in the Table 2 below:
Table 2: The Decad of Truths
MC35
RV-1
S.No.
1. 2.
Sth. 10.89 Regional (Janapada) Approved/Conventional 2 (Sammata) Representational
3 (Sthāpanā) Nomenclatural (Nāma) Appearance (Rūpā) 5
5.
5
Conventional (Samvrti) Arrangementative (Sanyojana)
6.
Relative (Pratītya)
Probabilistic
7
Probabilistic
Country (Desa)
7. Figurative (Vyavahāra) 8. Modal (Bhāva)
Yoked (Yoga) 10. Simile truth (Aupamya)
8
10
10
Canonical truth (Samaya)
It is seen that while the Digambara text of MC and GJ generally follow the Sth. list with the elimination of yoked truth and adding probabilistic truth at seventh or eighth point leading the modal truth to ninth position. No cause for elimination, addition or positioning has been pointed out in textual commentaries. However, these points requite consideration specially the addition of probabilistic truth, which does not find place at all in Akalanka's ten categories of truth. Moreover, the order of his categories is quite different from and better ordered than the others. There are six categories as named in column 1 but with different order with 'Sammata' becoming Sarvsti here (both have similar meanings) and the three new categories of arrangementative, country and canonical truth have been added eliminating yoked, simile and figurative categories of Sth. It can be easily surmised that the Sth. listing is based more on popular kinds of