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TULSI-PRAJNA
and understanding also we can have only a partial and relative picture of reality. In fact, we cannot challenge its validity or truth-value, but at the same time we must be aware of the fact that it is only a partial truth or one-sided view. One who knows only partial truth or has a onesided picture of reality, has no right to discard the views of his opponents as totally false. We must accepts that the views of our opponents may also be true from some other angles.
The Jaina-theory of Anekantavāda emphasises that all the approaches to understand the reality give partial but true picture of reality, and due to their truth-value from a certain angle we should have regard for other's ideologies and faiths. The Anekantvada forbids to be dogmatic and one-sided in our approach. It preaches us a broader outlook and greater open mindedness, which is more essential to solve the conflicts taking place due to the differences in ideologies and faiths. Prof. T. G. Kalghatgi rightly observes: The spirit of Anekanta is very much a necessary in society, specially in the present days, when conflicting ideologies are trying to assert supremacy aggressively. Anekanta brings the spirit of intellectual and social tolerance.'
For the present-day society what is awfully needed is the virtue of tolerance. This virtue of tolerance i.e. regard for others ideologies and faiths has been maintained in Jainism from the very beginning. Mahavira mentions in the Sutrakṛtānga, those who praise their own faiths and ideologies and blame those of their opponents and thus distort the truth will remain confined to the cycle of birth and death.17 Jaina philosophers have all the time maintained that all the view points are true in respect of what they have themselves to say, but they are false in so far as they refute totally other's view-points. Here I would like to quote beautiful verses from Haribhadra (8th century A. D.) and Hemchandra (12th century A. D.), which are the best examples of religious tolerance in Jainism.
Hari
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