________________
204
The Sacred Books of the Jainas
one will be wholly untrue without the existence of others. In other words, the valid Nayas are inter-dependent and when they become independent, the result is that their very nature is annihilated. For example, the inter-dependence of cotton threads is possessed of the potentiality of warding off cold and providing comfort to the body, but if each of these threads become independent of others, these will not be able to serve the aforesaid purpose. This pinciple is applied to the doctrine of Nayas. Acharya Amritachandra Sūri has mentioned that as a milk-maid draws part of the rope of the churning rod by one hand loosening the other part to get butter out of curd, so the Jain doctrine of Naya gives prominence to a particular attribute leaving aside the other views and by this means churns the nectar of reality (Tattva )1.
The harmonious combination of these co-ordinating Nayas paves the way to right faith ( Samyog-darśana).
This aphorism of Parikṣāmukham has been given an alternative explanation by Anantavirya. He says that besides being explained as above, we may take this aphorism to mean "Vadalakṣmaṇa or Patra-lakṣmaṇa which are mentioned elsewhere should be noted here"".
Vada has been defined as words which establish their import*. Patra is defined as a sentence the limbs of which are wellknown and which establish the import which it desires to convey
1. “ एकेनाकर्षयन्ती श्लथयन्ती वस्तुतत्वमितरेण । अंतेन जयति जैनी नीतिर्मथाननेत्रमिव गोपी ॥"
Purusartha-siddhyupaya, Verse 225.
2. “एते गुणप्रधानतया परस्परतंत्राः सम्यग्दर्शनहेतवः ।”
Tattvartha-raja-vārttika.
3. “ अथवा संभवद् विद्यमानं, अन्यद् वादलक्षणं पत्रलक्षणं वान्यत्रोक्तमिह
" Prameya-ratna-mālā.
4. " समर्थवचनं वादः " Ibid,
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
