Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c2.2

c2.2

*Vāda* subsists on diversity. No *vāda* is possible if there is only one point of view. Also, *vāda* does not happen in singularity, it always is a prerequisite to the other and mostly promotes the presence of many others. India’s history of ideas and debates presents a multilinear view. The tradition of *vāda* envisages pluralism. The learned editors of *Isibhāsiyāin*, a neglected work, but immensely valuable for understanding the Indian *vāda*, tell us that during the days of Mahāvīra there were as many as 363 theories discussed under four well-known sects. *Vāda* vitalized intellectual life and the seers, monks and intellectuals residing in the *āśramas*, *vihāras* and *saṁghas*.