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THE WORLD OF JAINISM
standpoints. The other systems of philosophy, they hold, mistake in judging the nature of Reality, because they look at at from some standpoints and regaid as if they know the full truth The Jainas argue that all philosophical confusions arise out of the confusion of standpoints
doctrine of ‘
Syadaraca: The Doctrine of chaps
The Jaina conception of relativity of knowledge and manifold nature of reality S well explained by its
ctrine of finay be' or 'perhaps (syadavada) If anekantanada is one side of the coin with reference to the Jaina episianologr and logic syadavada or the doctrine of "perhaps' is the other side 'Whercas the emphasis in nayavada is on an analytical approach to Reality, on pointing out that different standpoints can be taken, the stress in syadavada is on the synthetic approach to Peality, on reiterating that the different view-points together help us in comprehending the Real" 33 The inport 01 saadavada is that no judgment can be absolutely true Its truth is conditioned by several limitations, eg space, time and so on In other words every judgment is only relatively true or false Since it holds that there are only seven ways of piedication, it is also known as Saptabhangi (līt seven turns) These are (1) syad asta perhaps is, (2) syad nasta perhaps is not, (3) syad asti nasta perhaps is and is not (4) syad avaktavya unpredicable, (5) syad asti avaktavya perhaps is and is unpredicable, (6) syad rasti avaktavya perhaps is not and is unpredicable, and (7) syad asta nastz avaktavya perhaps is, not is and is unpredicable of these seven ways of predication the first two are the basic Thus a judgment may be true from one angle and false from another It has neither absolute truth nor absolute falsity The truth is relative, so is falsity
JAINA METAPHYSICS After discussing the nature and sources of knowledge as conceived by the Jainas that knowledge is relative and that it can be acquired by direct and indirect sources, we now take up the Jaina metaphysics Metaphysics or ontology is the science of reality or ultimate reality It studies the nature and kinds of reality It distinguishes between empirical and transcendental, between being and becoming, and between identity and difference Jainism had from its very inception a metaphysical bias Of course, like Buddhism, the Jaina metaphysics is ethically oriented As has been stated earlier here philosophy, psychology and other branches of human endeavour are means to an ethical end The end is the alleviation of suffering, physical as well as spiritual
33. Gopalan, op cit, pp
152-3
