Praman Ka Vishaya - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Praman ka Vishaya" by Sukhlal Sanghavi, focusing on the essence of the excerpt:

Summary of "Praman ka Vishaya" (The Subject of Valid Knowledge) - Excerpt

This excerpt from Sukhlal Sanghavi's work delves into the foundational philosophical debates about the nature of reality and how valid knowledge (pramana) apprehends it. It highlights that the contemplation of the world's nature is ancient, predating even the Rigveda. These early philosophical inquiries led to the development of distinct viewpoints on existence, which can be broadly categorized into five:

Eternalism (Keval Nityavada): Believes reality is solely eternal. The Vedantins, who view non-eternality as illusory, are cited as proponents.
Momentariness (Keval Anityavada): Asserts that reality is entirely momentary. The Buddhist doctrine of impermanence is given as an example.
Resultant Eternalism (Parinama Nityavada): Considers the world, distinct from consciousness, to be eternally undergoing transformations. The Samkhya and Yoga schools, which view the world as ultimately eternal but changing, fall into this category.
Dual Aspectism (Nityanitya Ubhayavada): Maintains that some entities are solely eternal, while others are solely non-eternal. The Nyaya and Vaisheshika schools are presented as adherents.
Paradoxical Dualism (Nityanitvatmakavada): Posits that all entities possess both eternal and non-eternal aspects. The Jain tradition is identified as the proponent of this view, believing that all substances (dravyas) are eternally characterized by both their permanent essence and their changing modes (paryayas).

The text notes that these differing philosophical stances and their mutual refutations are clearly articulated in ancient scriptures and texts.

The excerpt then shifts to the "Age of Logic" (Tarka Yuga), roughly the last two thousand years of philosophical literature. During this period, these schools rigorously supported their own doctrines and refuted opposing views through specific arguments and logic. A crucial development in this logical discourse was the necessity for all philosophers to:

Define the Subject of Pramana: After establishing the nature of valid knowledge, they had to explain the subject matter of that knowledge from their own perspective.
Establish a Criterion (Kasauti): They needed to set a standard or criterion by which to test their own theories.
Validate their Own Position: This criterion was then applied to their own doctrines to prove their validity.
Refute Opposing Positions: By demonstrating the absence or inadequacy of this criterion in opposing viewpoints, they aimed to invalidate those positions.

Acharya Hemachandra, following the style of the Age of Logic, is presented as having articulated the Jain perspective on the subject of pramana within four sutras. He explained:

The Jain Doctrine: The universe, from a Jain perspective, is characterized by both permanence and change (dravya-paryayatmakatva, nityanitya-tvad).
The Criterion: He adopted the criterion of "Arthakriyakaritva" (ability to perform an action or produce an effect), which was likely first propounded by Buddhist logicians.
Application of the Criterion: Acharya Hemachandra utilized this very criterion to provide a reasoned justification for the Jain concept of paradoxical dualism (nityanitvatmakatva), which equates to the doctrine of substance-mode (dravya-paryayatmakatva). He powerfully refuted the purely eternalist view of the Vedanta and the purely momentary view of the Buddhists using this criterion.

In essence, the excerpt emphasizes that the Jain philosophy, as articulated by Hemachandra in the Age of Logic, adopted a universally applicable criterion (arthakriyakaritva) to assert the inherent dual nature of reality – that all things are both permanent in their essence and constantly undergoing change in their modes. This criterion served as a tool to both validate the Jain position and dismantle opposing absolutist views.