Book Title: Studies in Jaina Philosophy
Author(s): Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society
View full book text
________________
111. Iv]
AVIDYA IN THE NYAYA SCHOOL
107
Nyāyasūtra also prescribes mental and physical discipline in the shape of restraint of the external activity of the senses and mind for the purification of the soul. The truth is also to be known from and discussed with the wise by means of questions and answers. It is to be sedulously nurtured and guarded at least in the initial stages from the wanton attacks of sceptics and unbelievers. If the opponents possess superior intellectual resources and if the votary of truth is found unequal to disarm the critic, it is sanctioned by the logical code of the Naiyāyika that the opponent should be gagged into silence even by resort to disputation and wrangling, though they may not be unexceptionable forms of debate. It is to be understood that these devices are adopted by an elderly person who does not wish that the spiritual career of the neophyte should be upset by the onslaughts of designing persons whose sophistical arguments he finds himself unable to refute. When the truth is thus known and realized, the soul gets rid of nescience or delusion (mithyājñāna). The Nyayasūtra prescribes the practice of both ecstasy (samadhi) and pursuit of knowledge (jñāna) for the realization of the truth. If the practice in philosophical pursuit illumines the path, the practice in meditation and ecstasy leads to the attainment of the goal. When the knowledge of truth dawns upon the soul, the nescience or delusion ceases to exist. Describing the process of the cessation of the worldly life, the Nyāyasūtra says: "Apavarga (final emancipation) is attained when of these (factors) viz. duḥkha (suffering), janma (birth), pravrtti (merits and demerits born of volitional activities)," dosas (defects) and mithyäjñana (nescience or delusion)-the preceding one ceases on the cessation of the succeeding one.' With the cessation of nescience, defects i.e. the evil predispositions such as attachment cease. With the cessation of defects merits and demerits cease. With the cessation of merits and demerits, birth and death cease. With the cessation of birth and death, misery and suffering cease. With the cessation of birth the body ceases and how can the suffering exist when the instrument of suffering and misery viz. the body and the like has ceased to exist? This absolute cessation of suffering and misery is called final emancipation (apavarga).5
We have now related in brief the conception of the nature and function of nescience in the Nyaya school. Let us now turn to the Vaiseșika school.
1 See NS, IV. 2. 46.
2 See NS, IV. 2. 47-51. 3 Pravrtti means action, good and bad. But, according to Vătsyāyana, here it means dharma and adharma which accrue from those actions. See Bhāsya, NS, I. Î. 2.
4 duḥkha-janma-pravrtti-dosa-mithyā-jñānānām uttarottaräpāye tadanantarapāyād apavargaḥ-NS, I. I. 2.
5 tadatyanta-vimokso 'pavargaḥ--NS, I. 1. 22.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
Page Navigation
1 ... 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366