Religion and Culture of the Jains

Author(s): Jyoti Prasad Jain
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 86

RELIGION & CULTURE OF THE JAINS
nferences. The Jaina logic and dialectics represent a highly developed system comprising the arts and science of reasoning correctly, of the related rules and modes, debates and discussions, and also dwells upon pseudo-pramāṇas, fallacies and fallacious arguments.
Naya
The second means or device of comprehending the reality rightly is known as naya. All the reals are extremely complex entities, and each of them has innumerable qualities, modes, relations, facets and aspects. The aim of naya is to determine rightly, correctly and without any contradiction one of these characteristics of the object at a time. It is thus a particular point of view, standpoint, or way of looking at things. The naya process is analytical, whereas the basis of pramāna is synthesis. But, since without analysis there can be no synthesis, and without undertaking an analytical examination of the object in question, no synthetic comprehension of that object is possible, naya is an essential part of valid knowledge or pramāņa.
The nayas being the means of getting an insight into the nature of reality, which is highly complex and hence infinitefold, are themselves infinite in number, at least theoretically. For practical purposes, however, they have been broadly classified into seven categories: naigama, sangraha vyavahāra, rjusūtra, sabda, samabhirūdha, and evambhūta,
The naigama-naya is a sort of figurative way related to the purpose of a course of activity before the purpose is actually accomplished: for example, a person in the act of fetching water, fuel, etc., when asked as to what he is doing, replies that he is cooking his meal, which he is not actually doing, but only making preparations for doing so. The subject of the' nayd may relate to a present activity, a past activity, or a future activity.