Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s5.t3: Mahāvīra and the Tradition of Debate

Vāda in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s5.t3

Language
English

Mahāvīra and the Tradition of Debate

c6.s5.t3.1

The practice of Vibhajyavāda in later śramaṇic traditions culminated into the theory of *anekānta*. Avoidance of *ekānta* (one-sidedness) is Anekānta. Matilal (1981: 1) explains the philosophy of Anekānta as “the theory of non-one-sidedness” or “the theory of many-sidedness of reality”. Because of its acceptance of many-folded nature of reality, Anekānta had the capability of traversing on different *nayas* (standpoints) offering justification of each. Each standpoint has its conditionality and if stated without any conditionality, it remains unjustified. Accepting any doctrine or system unconditionally would mean exclusion of all rival doctrines and systems. Anekānta requires an understanding of the truth behind diverse standpoints and also the conditions of these standpoints, overruling every prejudice.

c6.s5.t3.2

Accepting the view of Dalsukhabhai Malvania that the practice of Vibhajyavāda in later śramaṇic traditions culminated into the theory of Anekānta, Matilal (1981: 4) further suggests that the moral doctrine of *ahiṃsā* (non-violence) was “partly responsible for the development of the Anekānta attitude in Jaina philosophy”.

c6.s5.t3.3

Matilal (1981: 25) rightly described the methodology of Anekāntavāda as taking its flights on two wings — Nayavāda (the doctrine of standpoints) and the Saptabhaṅgī (the doctrine of sevenfold predications). The later is also named as Syādvāda and is also taken as synonymous to Anekānta, because the prefix *syād* in it signifies manifold nature of any category.

c6.s5.t3.4

In fact, the philosophy of Saptabhaṅgīnaya developed from the *trairāśika* as propounded by Ājīvaka Gosāla. Gosāla said that everything has triple character — existence, non-existence and both. Matilal (1981: 49) finds this doctrine of triple character of every entity as more akin in spirit and logically closer to the later Jaina doctrine of sevenfold formula as well the Anekānta.

c6.s5.t3.5

Haribhadra in his *Anekāntavijayapatākā* (pp. 13-26) explains the theory of Anekānta as Saṁhāravāda (the theory of integration), Sarva-vastu-śabala-vāda (the theory of manifoldness of every real entity), Ākulavāda (theory of accepting opposites) and Saṅkīravāda (the theory of intermixture).

c6.s5.t3.6

With this kind of openness, Mahāvīra’s tradition of *vāda* distinguished between *naya* and *durnaya*. *Naya* is accepting one standpoint with full awareness of other standpoints in relation to it, and *durnaya* is accepting one standpoint by excluding others.

c6.s5.t3.7

presents a complete structural design for the analysis of a *vāda* text. The thirty-two *tantra-yuktis* enumerated by Kauṭilya are — *adhikaraṇa* (chapter), *vidhāna* (table of contents), *yoga* (scheme of sentences), *padārtha* (explanation of words), *hetvartha* (indicating the reasons), *uddeśa* (listing of contents), *nirdeśa* (elaboration of contents), *upadeśa* (advice), *apadeśa* (reference to other views), *atideśa* (incorporation of one theme in the other), *pradeśa* (separating the topics to be discussed subsequently), *upamāna* (explaining through similitude), *arthāpatti* (implication), *saṁśaya* (doubt), *prasaṅga* (application of one context to the other), *viparyaya* (vice versa, contrariety), *vākyaśeṣa* (incomplete sentence to be explained through inherent meaning), *anumata* (acceptance of the views of others), *vyākhyāna* (heightened speech), *nirvacana* (etymological explanation), *nidarśana* (illustration), *apavarga* (ending), *svasaṁjñā* (explaining a word through another one), *pūrva-pakṣa* (the prima facie view), *siddhānta-pakṣa* (the principle), *ekānta* (exclusive view), *anāgatāvekṣaṇa* (summing up the issues to be taken up later), *atikrāntāvekṣaṇa* (resume), *niyoga* (demarcation), *vikalpa* (option), *samuccaya* (simultaneity) and *ūha* (investigation).⁹⁵

c6.s5.t3.8

In fact, Kauṭilya has employed all these thirty-two *tantra-yuktis* to make his voluminous compendium a subtle text in *vāda*. At the very outset of *Arthaśāstra*, he has used the first four of the above *tantra-yuktis* by the way of giving a complete outline of the whole text. On each and every topic, he takes into account all the *pūrva-pakṣas* (the prima facie views), then the *uttara-pakṣa* (rejoinder) together with *ekānta*. Along with these, he discusses the facts, gives copious references and illustrations, agreements and disagreements, contrarieties, resume, summing up, etc. References to previous portions and the alternatives are provided, and implications are specified.

Linked texts (1)