Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 1

Author(s): Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 247

236 VAISHALI INSTITUTE RÉSEARCH BULLETÍN NO. I In the, Bhagavadgita Sri Krishna counsels balanced diet, balanced recreation, balanced activity and balanced rest:
yuktāhāravihārasya yuktaceșțasya karmasu
yuktasvapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duhkhahā (op. cit., VI 17). Extremes must be avoided. Extremism means ekānta attitude, i. e. adherence to one extreme (anta) to the exclusion of the other.
The doctrine of anekānta was applied to the ethical conduct of a person aspiring for higher values. But unfortunately its applicat day to day life of an individual and the mutual behaviour of nations has not been advocated with emphasis by any thinker, so far as our knowledge goes. The subject of our present discourse has been proposed by our Director, Dr. N. Tatia. He envisages this scope of the application of this principle in the political sphere and is persuaded that this anekānta attitude together with non-violence will serve as the foundation of world peace.
The Jaina logician believes in relativity and non-absolutism and makes assessment of the truth of a proposition in sevenfold predication. We may take the following paradigm for illustration of the anekanta standpoint. There are so many divergent theories regarding causation. In answer to the question-'is the effect pre-existent in the cause ?' different answers have been given by different philosophers either in the affirmative or in the negative or in both, or in a non-committal manner. The Jaina answers this in the following manner : (1) it is (syad asti), (2) it is not (syad nästi), (3) it is and is not (syad asti ca nasti ca) (4) it is indefinable (syad avakiavya), (5) it is and is indefinable syad asti ca avaktavya), (6) it is not and is indefinable (syad năsti ca avaktavya) and (7) it is, is not and indefinable (syad asti ca năsti ca avaktavya). The first endorses the Sārkhya position called satkāryavāda, subject to a qualification. It is pre-existent so far as it is identical with the cause but not as a full-fledged effect. The second proposition endorses the Nyaya position called asatkāryavada. The effect is not pre-existent as it is found to be after its emergence. So the acceptance is not unqualified Without further elaboration we may assert that a thing is true in its own character, taken by itself, in its own place and in its own time. I now propose to apply it to the examination of a political question.
Is democracy the true universal form of government or socialism with perfect state control ? Is there a via media ? Consistent with the law of anekānta, the Jaina philosopher would say, 'nothing can be universally true for all the time'. It holds true under a specified set