Nyayavatara

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Nyāyāvatāra" by Siddhasena Divākara, as presented in the edited version by Dr. Satya Ranjan Banerjee:

Book Title: Nyāyāvatāra Author: Siddhasena Divākara Editor/Augmentor: Dr. Satya Ranjan Banerjee Publisher: Sanskrit Book Depot (P) Ltd. Context: This edition is a re-arrangement and augmentation of the first edition of S. C. Vidyābhūşaņa's work on the Nyāyāvatāra.

Overview:

The Nyāyāvatāra, authored by the renowned Jaina logician Siddhasena Divākara (circa 480-550 A.D.), is considered the earliest Jaina work on Pure Logic. Its primary purpose is to establish the validity of the nine cardinal principles (nava-tattva) of Jaina philosophy by expounding the principles of logic, particularly the science of right knowledge (pramāṇa) and methods of description (naya).

Key Aspects and Contributions:

1. Siddhasena Divākara: He was a celebrated logician and lyric poet, claimed by both Digambara and Svetambara Jaina traditions. His work signifies a departure from earlier Indian logic, which often intertwined logic with metaphysics and religion. Siddhasena, along with the Buddhist logician Dinnāga, began to differentiate logic as a distinct discipline.

2. Jaina Logic and Philosophy: The text emphasizes that Jaina logic is crucial for understanding and establishing the core doctrines of Jaina philosophy. The book provides a framework for how logic supports Jaina metaphysics, ontology, psychology, and ethics.

3. Doctrines of Jainism (as a Foundation for Logic):

   • World Conception: The world is eternal, beginningless, and endless, like a wheel of time. It comprises loka (living and non-living things) and aloka (void space).
   • Substance (Dravya): Substances are eternal but ever-changing.
   • Nine Categories (Nava-tattva):
     • Jiva (Soul): Infinite, eternal, characterized by intelligence. Souls are either mundane (saṁsāri) or liberated (mukta). Mundane souls are subject to the cycle of birth and death due to karmic bondage.
     • Ajiva (Non-soul): Five categories: dharma (principle of motion), adharma (principle of rest), ākāśa (space), pudgala (matter), and kāla (time).
     • Asrava: Inflow of karmic matter.
     • Bandha: Bondage of karmic matter to the soul.
     • Samvara: Prevention of karmic inflow.
     • Nirjara: Shedding of karmic matter.
     • Moksha: Liberation or final emancipation from the cycle of birth and death.
   • Key Philosophical Doctrines:
     • Anekāntavāda (Non-absolutism): Reality has multifarious aspects; a complete understanding requires considering all perspectives. This rejects one-sided emphasis on permanence or change.
     • Syādvāda (Doctrine of Conditionality): A logical method using the word "syāt" (may be) to qualify propositions, acknowledging multiple perspectives. It has seven forms (saptabhangi).
     • Jaina Nayas (Standpoints): Seven ways of describing reality, each offering a partial truth: naigama, saṁgraha, vyavahāra, rju-sūtra, śabda, samabhirūḍha, and evambhūta.
   • Path to Salvation (Mokşamārga): Consists of Ratna-traya (Three Jewels): Right Faith (samyag darśana), Right Knowledge (samyag jñāna), and Right Conduct (samyak cāritra).
   • Ethical Conduct: Emphasizes vows (vratas) for monks and laity, including pañca mahāvrata (five great vows like non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, non-possession) and adherence to principles like tri-gupti (control of body, speech, mind) and pañca-samiti (caution in actions).

4. Analytical Contents of the Nyāyāvatāra (Focus on Logic):

   • Pramāṇa (Right Knowledge): Knowledge that is self-illuminating and illuminates other things without obstruction.
     • Pratyakşa (Direct Knowledge/Perception):
       • Vyāvahārika (Practical): Through the five senses and mind.
       • Pāramārthika (Transcendental/Kevala): Absolute, perfect knowledge.
     • Parokşa (Indirect Knowledge):
       • Anumāna (Inference): Correct knowledge of the major term derived through an inseparably connected middle term.
         • Svārthānumāna (Inference for oneself).
         • Parārthānumāna (Inference for others), comprising five or ten members (proposition, reason, example, application, conclusion, and their corrections).
       • Śabda (Verbal Testimony): Knowledge from reliable persons or scripture.
   • Fallacies: The work meticulously details various fallacies (ābhāsa) in reasoning:
     • Fallacies of the minor term (paksābhāsa).
     • Fallacies of the middle term (hetvābhāsa): Unproved (asiddha), Contradictory (viruddha), Uncertain (anaikāntika).
     • Fallacies of example (dṛṣṭāntābhāsa): Both homogeneous (sādharmya) and heterogeneous (vaidharmya), with numerous sub-categories based on defects in terms or connections.
   • Inseparable Connection (Vyāpti): The crucial link between the middle and major terms.
     • Antar-vyāpti (Internal): Shown by the minor term itself.
     • Bahir-vyāpti (External): Shown through an external example.
   • Refutation (Dūṣaṇa) and Semblance of Refutation (Dūṣaṇābhāsa): Pointing out errors versus falsely attributing errors.
   • Consequences of Pramāṇa: Removal of ignorance; bliss and equanimity (from transcendental); facility to choose and reject (from practical).
   • Naya (Method of Descriptions): Comprehending things from particular standpoints. The seven nayas are explained as different ways of approaching reality, often associated with different philosophical schools.
   • Syādvāda-śruta: Knowledge that determines the full meaning by integrating insights from one-sided nayas within the scriptural framework.

Significance of this Edition:

Dr. Banerjee's edition is valuable as it is based on the first edition by Vidyābhūşaņa and is re-arranged with added introduction, notes, and an appendix that includes Vidyābhūşaņa's own writings on Siddhasena Divākara. It aims to be handy and useful for scholars, providing a clear exposition of Jaina logic as a foundation for its rich philosophical and ethical doctrines.

In essence, the Nyāyāvatāra is presented not just as a logical treatise but as an indispensable tool for grasping the profound tenets of Jainism, emphasizing the interconnectedness of right knowledge, reasoning, and spiritual liberation.