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The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
Importance of Anekanta
The importance of this comprehensive synthesis of 'Syā. dvāda' and 'Anekānta-naya' in day to day life is immense in as much as these doctrines supply a rational unification and synthesis of the manifold and rejects the assertions of bare absolutes.
Mr. Stephen Hay, an American Scholar-historian, in his article, “Jaina influences on Gandhi's Early Thought” refers to Mahatma Ghandhi's views about the Jaina theory of Anekánta as under:
It has been my experience, wrote Gandhi in 1926, "that I am always true ( correct ) from my point of view, and often wrong from the point of view of my critics. I know that we are both ( myself and my critics ) right from our respective points of view."
He further quotes Gandhiji's saying as under :
"I very much like this doctrine of the manyness of reality. It is this doctrine that has tought me to judge a Mussulman from his standpoint and a Christian from his .... From the platform of the Jainas, I prove the non-creative aspect of God, and from that of Ramanuja the creative aspect. As a matter of fact we are all thinking of the unthinkable describing the Indescribable, sceking to know the unknown, and that is why our specch falters, is inadequate and been often contradictory."
History of all conflicts and confrontations in the world is the history of intolerance born out of ignorance. Dilliculty with the man is his egocentric existence. If only the man becomes conscious of his own limitations, Anekanta or Syadvada tries to make the man conscious of his limitation by pointing to his narrow vision and limited knowledge of the manifold aspects of things, and asks him not to be hasty in formning absolute judgements before exainining various other aspects-both positive and negative. Obviously, much of the bloodsbed, and wuch of tribulations of mankind would bave
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