________________
134 ]
The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
Infact every object and every idea has infinite characteristics and is required to be judged from varieties of standpoints. What should be our reaction towards a thing if we are convinced that everything in this universe has infinite characteristics and that limited knowledge of a human being is not capable of apprehending all these characteristics. Certainly, if our approach is objective and unbiased, we would not rush to take an absolute view of that thing or thought, keeping in mind the limitations of our knowledge. Our judgement based on limited data is likely to be wrong. We would, however, not be able to reject our earlier impressions outright, based on actual perception. So in our prudence, we would say that the judgement, formed about actually perceived things is likely to be true. While saying so we would not rule out the possibility that it may turn out to be untrue if looked at from any other perspective. This is the approach of Syadvada which implies that each and every knowledge is relative. What we know by the analytical process of Nayavāda, we express by the synthesis of Syadváda. As already noticed, the etymological meaning of the word 'Syad' is 'Perhaps'. But it is used to suggest a relative truth. The theory of Syadváda is based on the premise that every proposition is only relatively true. It all depends upon the particular aspect from which we appreciate that proposition. Since all propositions are related to many circumstances, our assertions about them depend entirely upon the particular circumstances through which we are viewing them. Since our view has a limited aperture, we cannot see everything, and hence it is appropriate to avoid our absolute assertion.
For instance, when we say that a particular thing weighs 5 lbs, our statement about the weight is related to the magnetic force exerted on that thing by our planet, the earth. The same thing inay not weigh anything if removed out of this magnetic field or may weigh differently in a different planet. The same can be said about our statements relating to time and space and about every human experience. It is the matter
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
