जैनधर्मस्य महिमा (jainadharmasya mahimā - glory of Jainism)

         

Original	Transliteration	Translation
नमः श्री वर्दमनाय निर्धूतकल्लिलात्मने। सोलोकानां त्रिलोकानां यां द्विद्या दर्पणायते॥	namaḥ śrī vardamanāya nirdhūtakallilātmane। solokānāṃ trilokānāṃ yāṃ dvidyā darpaṇāyate॥	I bow to Lord Vardhamâna who has rid His soul of all karmic dirt and whose teachings reflect, as it were in a mirror, the three worlds (universe) and the beyond (non-universe).
Sanskrit Reference: रत्नकरण्डकश्रवकाचार (ratnakaraṇḍakaśravakācāra)

    On the sacred day of महा अवतार जयन्ति (mahā avatāra jayanti – supreme incarnation anniversary) of the noble saint श्री वर्धमान् महावीर् (śrī vardhamān mahāvīr), who is the चतुर्विंशतित तीर्तंकर (caturviṃśatita tīrtaṃkara – twenty-fourth perfected soul).  Let us pay our humble homages to this noble soul and his mission. श्री वर्धमान् महावीर् (śrī vardhamān mahāvīr), is definitely one of greatest saints who walked on earth.... As the final amongst of the चतुर्विंशति ज़िनतीर्तंकराः (caturviṃśati inatīrtaṃkarāḥ - twenty-four Jain perfected souls), He played an unparalleled role in spreading message of जीनधर्म (jīnadharma - jainism). The following are the  नामाः चतुर्विंशति जैनतीर्तंकरनाम (nāmāḥ caturviṃśati jainatīrtaṃkaranāma – names of the twenty four perfected souls)

#	नाम तीर्तंकरस्य (nāma tīrtaṃkarasya – name of perfected soul)
1	श्री ऋषभदेव / आदिनाथ (śrī ṛṣabhadeva / ādinātha)
2	श्री अजीतनाथ (śrī ajītanātha)
3	श्री संभवनाथ (śrī saṃbhavanātha)
4	श्री अभिनन्दननाथ (śrī abhinandananātha)
5	श्री सुमतिनाथ (śrī sumatinātha)
6	श्री पद्मप्रभा (śrī padmaprabhā)
7	श्री सुप्रश्वनाथ (śrī supraśvanātha)
8	श्री चन्द्रप्रभा (śrī candraprabhā)
9	श्री पुष्पदन्त (śrī puṣpadanta)
10	श्री स्थिलनाथ (śrī sthilanātha)
11	श्री श्रेयनसनाथ (śrī śreyanasanātha)
12	श्री वसुपूज्य (śrī vasupūjya)
13	श्री विमलनाथ (śrī vimalanātha)
14	श्री अनन्तनाथ (śrī anantanātha)
15	श्री धर्मनाथ (śrī dharmanātha)
16	श्री शान्तिनाथ (śrī śāntinātha)
17	श्री कुन्थुनाथ (śrī kunthunātha)
18	श्री अरनाथ (śrī aranātha)
19	श्री माल्लीनाथ (śrī māllīnātha)
20	श्री मुनिसुव्रतनाथ (śrī munisuvratanātha)
21	श्री नमिनाथ (śrī naminātha)
22	श्री नेमिनाथ (śrī neminātha)
23	श्री पर्श्वनाथ  (śrī parśvanātha)
24	श्री वर्दमान् महवीर (śrī vardamān mahavīra)

जैनसमय (jainasamaya – jain religion) - an overview 

Historically, जैनसमय (jainasamaya – jain religion) is one of the most ancient native religions of India practising श्रमणमार्ग सनतनधर्मस्य (śramaṇamārga sanatanadharmasya – toil path of eternal spirituality). In fact, श्रमणमार्ग च वैदिक ब्राह्मनमार्ग (śramaṇamārga ca vaidika brāhmanamārga – toil path and vedic brahman path) have traditionally been the two parallel streams of सानतनधर्म (sānatanadharma – eternal spirituality) in the Indian sub-continent from time immemorial. 

According to श्रमणफलसूत्र / समण्णफलसुत्त (śramaṇaphalasūtra / samaṇṇaphalasutta – scripture/ aphorism on the fruits of reclusive-life) which is the ancient Pali Buddhist Canonical text belonging to the दीर्घागम / दीघनिकाय (dīrghāgama / dīghanikāya – long sermons), there were the following paths, traditionally referred as षट्विध अन्यतीर्थिक श्रमाणमार्ग संप्रदायाः (ṣaṭvidha anyatīrthika śramāṇamārga saṃpradāyāḥ - sixfold heterodox toil-path traditions) which pre-dated the बौद्धसमय (bauddhasamaya - buddhism).  

#	मुख्य परमाचरय mukhya paramācaraya –important chief preceptor)	अन्यतीर्थिक श्रमाणमार्ग (anyatīrthika śramāṇamārga – hetrodox toil-path)	Notes
1	श्री पूरण काश्यप (śrī pūraṇa kāśyapa)	अक्रियावाद / अकर्मवाद (akriyāvāda / akarmavāda – doctrine of non-action / no-fate)	This school preaches doctrine of non-morals.
2	श्री मस्करिन् गोशाल (śrī maskarin gośāla)	अजीविकवाद (ajīvikavāda – doctrine of perfect living)	This school preaches doctrine of absolute determinism
3	श्री अजित केशकंबलि (śrī ajitakeśakaṃbali)	चार्वाकवाद / लोकायतवाद (cārvākavāda / lokāyatavāda – doctrine of materialism / hedonism)	This school preaches a purely empirical worldly outlook of eat, drink and be merry.
4	श्री पकुध कच्चायन (śrī pakudha kaccāyana)	अनुवाद / सस्सत्वाद (anuvāda / sassatvāda – doctrine of atomism / doctrine of eternalism)	This school preaches seven fundamental substances as the building blocks of the universe. Each of these substances are eternal, atomic, stable and un-modifiable.
5	श्री ऋषभदेव / आदिनाथ (śrī ṛṣabhadeva / ādinātha)	जीनधर्म (jīnadharma- jainism)	This school preaches अनेकान्तवाद / स्याद्वाद (anekāntavāda / syādvāda – doctrine of multiple-end-points)
6	श्री सञ्जयवैरतिपुत्र / सञ्जयबल्लत्तिपुत्त (śrī sañjayavairatiputra / sañjayaballattiputta))	अज्ञानवाद / सत्त्ववत्वाद (ajñānavāda / sattvavatvāda -agnosticsm / existentialism)	This school preaches of agnostic-dialectical existentialism

With this basic classification on the षट्विध अन्यतीर्थिक श्रमाणमार्ग संप्रदायाः (ṣaṭvidha anyatīrthika śramāṇamārga saṃpradāyāḥ - sixfold heterodox toil-path traditions), we shall now specifically focus on the जीनधर्म (jīnadharma- jainism). Although the noble saint श्री वर्धमान् महावीर् (śrī vardhamān mahāvīr) is its most well known sages, technically called as तीर्थंकर (tīrthaṃkara – ford maker), yet traditionally he is not considered to be its founding father; rather, he is the चतुर्विंशतितम तीर्तंकर (caturviṃśatitama tīrtaṃkara – twenty-fourth ford-maker) and, in fact, he is historically, the last in the list amongst the तीर्तंकराः (tīrtaṃkarāḥ - ford makers) belonging to the वर्तमान अवसर्पिणीकल्प नित्यकालचक्रस्य (vartamāna avasarpiṇīkalpa nityakālacakrasya – present regressive epoch of the eternal time cycle), while the first in the list is श्री ऋषभदेव / आदिनाथ (śrī ṛṣabhadeva / ādinātha).

  Yes. जैनसंसुतिविज्ञान (jainasaṃsutivijñāna – Jain cosmology) which advocates the नित्यकालचक्रवाद (nityakālacakravāda – doctrine of eternal time-cycle), the universe eternally exists without beginning or an end. In other words, its charecterized by अनादि च अनन्त आवर्तनानि नित्यकालचक्रस्य (anādi ca ananta āvartanāni nityakālacakrasya – beginningless and endless iterations of eternal time cycles). Here, each आवर्तन कालचक्रस्य (āvartana kālacakrasya – iteration of time-cycle) is like rotating wheel which takes दशकोटाकोटिसागरोपम (daśakoṭākoṭisāgaropama – ten crore-crore mega-time unit) to complete one cycle. Please be noted that 1 सागरोपम (sāgaropama) approximately corresponds to 10¹⁵ human years.

The total area of such आवर्तन कालचक्रस्य (āvartana kālacakrasya – iteration of time-cycle) is further divided by द्वदश अराः (dvadaśa arāḥ - twelve spokes), such that the area of the circular-arc within each अर (ara - spoke) corresponds to a कालशक (kālaśaka – time-phase).  

#	कालशक (kālaśaka – time-phase)
1	सुषमासुषमा शक (suṣamāsuṣamā śaka – splendorous splendor era)
2	सुषमा शक (suṣamā śaka – splendor era)
3	सुषमादुषमा शक (suṣamāduṣamā śaka – splendorous sorrow era)
4	दुषमासुषमा शक (duṣamāsuṣamā śaka – sorrowful splendor era)
5	दुषमा शक (duṣamā śaka -   sorrow era)
6	दुषमादुषमा शक (duṣamāduṣamā śaka – sorrowful sorrow era)

Based on the direction of the rotational motion viz. आरोहणगति (ārohaṇagati – ascending motion) or अवरोहणगति (avarohaṇagati – descending motion) these द्वदश अराः (dvadaśa arāḥ - twelve spokes) are further categorized under two halves viz. उत्सर्पिणीकल्प (utsarpiṇīkalpa – progressive epoch) & अवसर्पिणीकल्प (avasarpiṇīkalpa – retrogressive epoch) respectively. The following diagram provides a graphical view of the द्वादशाराः आवर्तने कालचक्रस्य (dvādaśārāḥ āvartane kālacakrasya – twelve spokes in iteration of time-cycle)

Based on the direction of the rotational motion viz. आरोहणगति (ārohaṇagati – ascending motion) or अवरोहणगति (avarohaṇagati – descending motion) these द्वदश अराः (dvadaśa arāḥ - twelve spokes) are further categorized under two halves viz. उत्सर्पिणीकल्प (utsarpiṇīkalpa – progressive epoch) & अवसर्पिणीकल्प (avasarpiṇīkalpa – retrogressive epoch) respectively. The following diagram provides a graphical view of the द्वादशाराः आवर्तने कालचक्रस्य (dvādaśārāḥ āvartane kālacakrasya – twelve spokes in iteration of time-cycle).

Now, in each of such आवर्तन कालचक्रस्य (āvartana kālacakrasya – iteration of time-cycle) there is a unique list of अवताराः चतुर्विंशत् जैनतीर्तंकराणाम् (avatārāḥ caturviṃśat jainatīrtaṃkarāṇām – incarnations of twenty-four ford-makers) who descend down and help in elevating the collective consciousness towards spiritual realization. For example, श्री ऋषभदेव / आदिनाथ (śrī ṛṣabhadeva / ādinātha) is considered to be the प्रथम तीर्तंकर (prathama tīrtaṃkara – first ford-maker) in the current iteration, while it is श्री वर्धमान् महावीर् (śrī vardhamān mahāvīr) who is the चतुर्विंशतितम तीर्तंकर (caturviṃśatitama tīrtaṃkara – twenty-fourth ford-maker)

            With this basic understanding we will focus on the मुख्य जैन शास्त्राणि (mukhya jaina śāstrāṇi – important jain scriptures).  The main corpus of Jain canonical scriptures are technically called as जैनागमशास्त्राणि (jaināgamaśāstrāṇi – jain agamic scriptures) are traditionally considered to be आप्तवचन (āptavacana – expert declaration) as they contain the recordings of the preachings (sermons) of various तीर्तंकराः (tīrtaṃkarāḥ - ford-makers) who are considered as the highest in the spiritual order. The other subject matter experts include आचार्याः (ācāryāḥ - preceptors), उपाध्यायाः (upādhyāyāḥ - teachers), प्रवर्तकाः (pravartakāḥ - authors / scholars), गणिन् (gaṇin - expert), स्थविराः (sthavirāḥ - elders) & गणधराः (gaṇadharāḥ - chief monks).

Most of these texts are originally documented in the native प्रादेशिकभाष (prādeśikabhāṣa – vernacular language) viz. the अर्धमगधी प्राकृतलिपि (ardhamagadhī prākṛtalipi), while some are written in महाराष्ट्री प्राकृतलिपि (mahārāṣṭrī prākṛtalipi).

There are two main branches within जैनसमय (jainasamaya - jainism) viz. the श्वेताम्बरमार्ग (śvetāmbaramārga – white-clad path) and the दिगम्बरमार्ग (digambaramārga – naked-mendicant path) and both these schools have their own corpus of जैनागमशास्त्राणि (jaināgamaśāstrāṇi – jain agamic scriptures) with the exception of तत्त्वार्थसूत्र (tattvārthasūtra) which is commonly recognized by both schools, although, here too,  they have their own customized versions of the same.  

The जैनागमशास्त्राणि (jaināgamaśāstrāṇi – jain agamic scriptures) are broadly classified either as अर्थागम शास्त्राणि (arthāgama śāstrāṇi – gnostic-exposition scriptures) & सूत्रागम शास्त्राणि (sūtrāgama śāstrāṇi – aphoristic exposition scriptures).

Alternatively, there is a three-fold classification of the जैनागमशास्त्राणि (jaināgamaśāstrāṇi – jain agamic scriptures) into 1) पूर्व (pūrva - prior) which are so called because they are  earliest compiled scriptures and are considered to be pre-canonical scriptures; 2) अङ्ग (aṅga - organ)  so called because they form the core organs of the canonical texts; and 3) अङ्गबह्य (aṅgabahya – external organ) – so called because they are like the external attachments to the main canonical texts and include the following sub-divisions: मूलसूत्र (mūlasūtra), छेदसूत्र (chedasūtra) & आवश्यकसूत्र / प्रकीर्णक (āvaśyakasūtra / prakīrṇaka).

For example, according to श्वेताम्बरमार्ग (śvetāmbaramārga – white-clad path), the following चतुर्दश पूर्वागम शास्त्राणि जैनसमयस्य (caturdaśa pūrvāgama śāstrāṇi jainasamayasya – fourteen pre-canonical scriptures of jainism) are recognized as part of the पञ्चविध जैनागमशास्त्रणि (pañcavidha jaināgamaśāstraṇi – five-fold jain agamic scriptures). 

 

#	Name	Notes
1	उत्पादपूर्व (utpādapūrva)	Deals with the manifestation and dissolution of all phenomenal substances including the ones of  जीव (jīva - living), अजीव (ajīva – non-living) and related पर्याय (paryāya - modification).
2	अग्रायणिपूर्व (agrāyaṇipūrva)	Deals with नवतत्त्वानि (navatattvāni – nine reals) and षड्द्रव्याः (ṣaḍdravyāḥ - six substances)
3	वीर्यानुप्रवादपूर्व (vīryānupravādapūrva)	Deals with the strength of energy in जीव (jīva - living), अजीव (ajīva – non-living)  etc.
4	अस्तिनास्तिप्रवादपूर्व (astināstipravādapūrva)	Deals with core doctrines of Jainsim including अनेकान्तवाद (anekāntavāda - mult-endpoint doctrine) & स्यद्वाद / सप्तभङ्गिनयवाद (syadvāda / saptabhaṅginayavāda)
5	ज्ञानप्रवादपूर्व (jñānapravādapūrva)	Deals with the Jain epistemology
6	सत्यप्रवादपूर्व (satyapravādapūrva)	Deals with truth, restraint, silence and speech
7	आत्मप्रवादपूर्व (ātmapravādapūrva)	Deals with study of soul analysed from multiple perspectives
8	कर्मप्रवादपूर्व (karmapravādapūrva)	Deals with the Jain doctrine of Karma
9	प्रत्याख्यानपूर्व (pratyākhyānapūrva)	Deals with renunciation, vows, sacrifices etc.
10	विद्यानुवादपूर्व (vidyānuvādapūrva)	Deals with occult gnosis and potencies
11	कल्याणपूर्व (kalyāṇapūrva)	Deals with spiritual alertness and laziness
12	प्राणानुवादपूर्व (prāṇānuvādapūrva)	Deals with ten fold breaths (pranas)
13	क्रियाविशालपूर्व (kriyāviśālapūrva)	Deals with 64 plus arts
14	लोकबिन्दुसारपूर्व (lokabindusārapūrva)	Deals with the triple realms or worlds

 

Similarly, the following द्वादश अन्तरङ्गशास्त्राणि जैनसमयस्य (dvādaśa antaraṅgaśāstrāṇi jainasamayasya – twelve internal organ scriptures of jainism) that form the मुख्यसिद्धान्तिक शास्त्राणि (mukhyasiddhāntika śāstrāṇi  – main canonical scriptures) according to श्वेताम्बरमार्ग (śvetāmbaramārga – white-clad path)

 

 

#	Name	Notes
1	आचारङ्ग सूत्र (ācāraṅga sūtra)	Primarily deals with Jain ethics and the rules of conduct for the ascetics. Mahavir's life and philosophy is also narrated here.
2	सूत्रकृतङ्ग सूत्र (sūtrakṛtaṅga sūtra)	Primarily deals with critical heretical analysis of other alternate  contemporary  philsophical schools
3	स्थानङ्गसूत्र (sthānaṅgasūtra)	Deals with nature of soul, matter and other categories
4	समवौआङ्गसूत्र (samavauāṅgasūtra)	Deals with the 32 aspects of Yoga
5	व्याख्याप्रज्नप्तिसूत्र / भगवतीसूत्र (vyākhyāprajnaptisūtra / bhagavatīsūtra)	It is an aphorism dealing with exposition of explanations provided by श्री वर्धमान् महावीर् (śrī vardhamān mahāvīr) in response to questions raised by some of his chosen disciples who include गौतम (gautama), रोह (roha), मकण्डिपुत्र (makaṇḍiputra),
6	ज्ञाताधर्मकथा (jñātādharmakathā)	Contains short parables and lengthy expositions
7	उपासकदशाः (upāsakadaśāḥ)	elaborates the code of conduct for the lay followers. It gives the biographies of ten principal shravaks (lay disciples) of Mahavira.
8	अन्तकृद्दशाः (antakṛddaśāḥ)	Provides a biographical accounts of saints who were able to conquer the re-birth cycle.
9	अनुत्तरोपपातिकदश (anuttaropapātikadaśa)	gives an account of those ascetics who were reborn in one of the five supreme heavens at the last phase of their cycle.
10	प्रश्नव्याकरण (praśnavyākaraṇa)	Deals with the eithical aspects of Jainism in terms of कर्म आस्रवाः (karma āsravāḥ- karmic influxes) and their corresponding कर्म संवराः (karma saṃvarāḥ - karmic inhibitions).
11	विपाकसूत्र (vipākasūtra)	explains the bondage, operation and fruition of meritorious and demeritorious karmas.
12	दृष्टिवादसूत्र (dṛṣṭivādasūtra)	This is a lost text containing the following five parts viz.: परिकर्म  (parikarma), सूत्र (sūtra), प्रथामानुयोग  (prathāmānuyoga), पूर्वगत (pūrvagata) & चूलिका (cūlikā).

Next,  comes the चतुस्त्रिंज़त् बाह्याङ्ग शास्त्राणि जैनसमयस्य (catustriṃat bāhyāṅga śāstrāṇi jainasamayasya – thirty-four external organ scriptures of jainism) according to श्वेताम्बरमार्ग (śvetāmbaramārga – white-clad path) which are further sub-classified into द्वादश उपाण्गसूत्राणि (dvādaśa upāṇgasūtrāṇi – twelve sub-aphorisms),  चतुर्मूलसूत्राणि (caturmūlasūtrāṇi – four root aphorisms), षट् छेदसूत्राणि (ṣaṭ chedasūtrāṇi – six dissipating aphorisms) & दश आवश्यकसूत्राणि / प्रकीर्णक  (daśa āvaśyakasūtrāṇi / prakīrṇaka – ten necessary aphorisms) & द्विचूलिकासूत्रे (dvicūlikāsūtre – two crest aphorisms).

·        चतुर्मूलसूत्राणि (caturmūlasūtrāṇi – four root aphorisms)

·        षट् छेदसूत्राणि (ṣaṭ chedasūtrāṇi – six dissipating aphorisms)

·        दश आवश्यकसूत्राणि / प्रकीर्णक  (daśa āvaśyakasūtrāṇi / prakīrṇaka – ten necessary/ miscelaneous aphorisms)

·        द्वादश उपाण्गसूत्राणि (dvādaśa upāṇgasūtrāṇi – twelve sub-aphorisms)

Salient features of जीनधर्म (jīnadharma - jainism).

जीनधर्म (jīnadharma - jainism) is one of the oldest religions of world, hailing from the sacred soils of Indian sub-continent, spreading the noble values of अहिंसा (ahiṁsā – non-violence). Wow! What a noble doctrine! Historically speaking, the जैनानि (jaināni - jains) are considered to be one of the pioneers in formally its doctrines as a fundamental part of its core religious धर्म (dharma - virtue). Here, in this school of faith अहिंसा (ahiṁsā – non-violence) is an integral part of the famous संयग्चरित्र (saṃyagcaritra – right conduct) which in turn is one among the रत्नत्रय जैनमतस्य (ratnatraya jainamatasya – triple gems of Jaina religion) along with सम्यग्दर्शन (samyagdarśana) & सम्यग्ज्ञान (samayagjñāna – right wisdom).  Many religions later adopted the same. Even Mahatma Gandhi and his unparalleled non-violent retaliation against British colonization of Mother India, was greatly influenced by this philosophy.  हिंसा (hiṃsā - violence) can potentially occur either as कामकृत हिंसा (kāmakṛta hiṃsā – intentional violence)

or even as अकाम हिंसा  (akāma hiṃsā – unintentional violence). Again, it can be in the form of आरंभिन् हिंसा (āraṃbhin hiṃsā – initial / default violence), उद्योगिन् हिंसा (udyogin hiṃsā -occupational violence), विरोधिन् हिंसा (virodhin hiṃsā – antagonistic violence) & सङ्कल्पिक हिंसा (saṅkalpika hiṃsā – volitional violence).  The noble doctrine of अहिंसा (ahiṁsā – non-violence), as prescribed in जीनधर्म (jīnadharma - jainism) strictly prohibits all these forms.

     

The next greatest contribution in my opinion is the doctrine of अनेकान्तवाद (anekāntavāda – multi-endpoint doctrine) and its twin cousins the नयवाद (nayavāda – standpoint doctrine) & स्याद्वाद (syādvāda – relative postulate doctrine) to the whole of humanity. Let’s take a close look at each of these doctrines.

Let’s start with नयवाद (nayavāda – standpoint doctrine). Etymologically, this is a compound term comprising of नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) and वाद (vāda – doctrine / thesis). In philosophical terms it’s a epistemological measure of ideological interpretation from a relative frame of reference. As the eminent philosopher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan explains:

 “The doctrine of Nayas of Standpoint is a peculiar feature of Jain logic. A Naya is a standpoint from which we make a statement about a thing. What is true from one standpoint may not be true from another. Particular aspects are never adequate to the whole reality. The relative solutions are abstractions under which reality may be regarded, but do not give us a full and sufficient account of it. Jainism has a basic and fundamental principle that truth is relative to our standpoint”.

Technically speaking, the सामन्यलक्षण नयस्य (sāmanyalakṣaṇa nayasya – generic definition of a standpoint) refers to a specific अभिप्राय / अभिमत (abhiprāya/ abhimata – opinion / supposition) that one individually carries on any object which is based on the individual aptitude and attitude. For example, आचार्य प्रभाचन्द्र (ācārya prabhācandra) the eminent दिगम्बर जैन मुनि (digambara jaina muni – naked-mendicant jain monk) defines it thus in his प्रमेयकमलमर्ताण्ड (prameyakamalamartāṇḍa) which is a famous भाष्य (bhāṣya - commentary) on the famous epistemological treatise titled परिक्षामुखसूत्र (parikṣāmukhasūtra) written by आचार्य श्री माणिक्यानन्दि (ācārya śrī māṇikyānandi) on the Jain epistemology and logic. 

Original	Transliteration	Translation
अनिराकृतप्रतिपक्षो वस्त्वंसघ्राही ज्ञातुरभिप्रायो नयः।	anirākṛtapratipakṣo vastvaṃsaghrāhī jñāturabhiprāyo nayaḥ।	The apprehension of the knower of a part of an object without discarding its opposite views is ‘standpoint’ (nayah)
Sanskrit Reference: प्रमेयकमलमर्ताण्ड (prameyakamalamartāṇḍa)

The important point to understand here is that any नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) can only provide a असमग्र / पाक्षपातिक ज्ञान (asamagra / pākṣapātika vidyā – incomplete / partial knowledge) as it is based on a आपेक्षिकखण्ड सन्धर्भस्य (āpekṣikakhaṇḍa sandharbhasya – relative frame of reference). However, this does not neither necessarily imply मिथ्याज्ञान (mithyājñāna – illusory knowledge) which technically falls under the case of नयाभास (nayābhāsa – fallacious standpoint) nor does it necessarily implyअज्ञान (ajñāna - ignorance) which is a case of. दुर्नय (durnaya – non standpoint).  

In other words, what is referred here is that at any point of time, any form of नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) highlights only reveals a पाक्षपातिक दृशीका पूरणप्रमाणज्ञानस्य (pākṣapātika dṛśīkā pūraṇa pramāṇajñānasya – partial aspect of the absolute holistic wisdom), while the remaining standpoints are still encapsulated. This fact is testified by आचार्य श्री वादिदेवसूरि (ācārya śrī vādidevasūri) in his famous treatise titled प्रमाणनयतत्त्वलोकालङ्कार (pramāṇanayatattvalokālaṅkāra) 

Original	Transliteration	Translation
नियते येन श्रुताख्यप्रमाणविषयीकृतस्यार्थस्यांशस् तदितरांशशौदाशीन्यतः स प्रतिप्पत्तुर् अभिप्रायविशेषो नयः।	niyate yena śrutākhyapramāṇaviṣayīkṛtasyārthasyāṃśas taditarāṃśaśaudāśīnyataḥ sa pratippattur abhiprāyaviśeṣo nayaḥ।	Standpoint (naya) consists in the particular mental tendency of the knower which takes cognizance of a part of an object known through the testimonial means of knowledge (śrutākhyapramāṇa), ignoring for the time being the other parts.
Sanskrit Reference: प्रमाणनयतत्त्वलोकालङ्कार (pramāṇanayatattvalokālaṅkāra) (7.1)

The important point to understand is that the पूरणप्रमाणज्ञानस्य (pūraṇapramāṇajñānasya - holistic means of knowledge), technically speaking, provides अनेकविकल्पसंभव (anekavikalpasaṃbhava – possibility of multiple options) wherein each विकल्प (vikalpa - option) is a आपेक्षिकनय / पाक्षपातिक ज्ञान (āpekṣikanaya / pākṣapātika vidyā – relative standpoint /partial knowledge). In fact, there are potentially अनन्तप्रकाराः नयानाम् (anantaprakārāḥ nayānām – infinite modes of standpoints), wherein the typical truth-value index of any नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) could potentially range between the extremes of दुर्नय / अज्ञान (durnaya / ajñāna – wrong standpoint / ignorance), नयाभास / मिथ्याज्ञान (nayābhāsa  / mithyājñāna – fallacious standpoint / illusory knowledge), आपेक्षिकनय / पाक्षपातिक ज्ञान (āpekṣikanaya / pākṣapātika vidyā –  relative standpoint /partial knowledge). According to the Jain school of logic, particularly in the दिगंबरदर्शनसंप्रदाय जैनदर्मस्य (digaṃbaradarśanasaṃpradāya jainadarmasya – naked-clan philosophy of jainism), such a truth-value-index takes the following सप्तनयाः (saptanayāḥ - seven aspects) which are further clubbed under two families as tabulated below

#	नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint)	Description
A	द्रव्यनयाकुल (dravyanayākula – substantive / material standpoint group)
1	नैगमनय (naigamanaya – teleological / holistic standpoint)	In this नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) a holistic approach is taken which is neutral to both the सामान्यगुणाः (sāmānyaguṇāḥ - general qualities) as well as the विशेषगुणाः (viśeṣa guṇāḥ - special qualities)
2	सङ्ग्रहनय (saṅgrahanaya – aggregate / class standpoint)	In this view नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) only the सामान्यगुणाः (sāmānyaguṇāḥ - general qualities)
3	व्यवहारनय (vyavahāranaya – practical / conventional standpoint)	In this view नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) only the विशेषगुणाः (viśeṣa guṇāḥ - special qualities)
B	पर्यायनयकुल (paryāyanayakula – modal standpoint group)
4	ऋजुसूत्रनय (ṛjusūtranaya – momentary standpoint)	In this नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) only the short-term instantaneous operational qualities
5	शब्दनय (śabdanaya – verbal / literal standpoint)	In this नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) a literal interpretation is arrived at based on various synonyms.
6	समभिरूढनय (samabhirūḍhanaya – etymological standpoint)	In this नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) the interpretations are drawn based on the etymological derivations of the words.
7	एवंभूतनय  (evaṃbhūtanaya – such like / similarity standpoint)	In this नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) a more tactical interpretation is arrived at based on the attitudinal condotions.

An important point to understand is that according to जीनधर्म (jīnadharma - jainism), there is a diminishing order of holistic knowledge among the सप्तनयाः (saptanayāḥ - seven standpoints) wherein the  नैगमनय (naigamanaya – teleological / holistic standpoint) is considered to be the most holistic standpoint, while the  एवंभूतनय  (evaṃbhūtanaya – such like / similarity standpoint) exhibits the least holism

This point is very categorically testified in the famous but anonymous treatise titled नयविवरण (nayavivaraṇa) wherein it is stated thus: 

Original	Transliteration	Translation
पूर्वाः पूर्वनयो भूमविषयः कारणात्मकः। परः परः पुनः सूक्ष्म गोचरो हेतुमानिह॥	pūrvāḥ pūrvanayo bhūmaviṣayaḥ kāraṇātmakaḥ। paraḥ paraḥ punaḥ sūkṣma gocaro hetumāniha॥
Sanskrit Reference: नयविवरण (nayavivaraṇa)

In terms of modern probability theory, from an epistemological perspective, each नय (naya – standpoint / viewpoint) is technically a kind of a पर्यायमूल्य (paryāyamūlya – probability-value), technically called here as स्यात् (syāt –predication); and as its logical corollary this leads us to the next important doctrine viz.  स्याद्वाद (syādvāda – postulate doctrine). 

The earliest explicit reference to the स्याद्वाद (syādvāda – postulate doctrine) was formally made by आचार्य श्री सिद्धसेनदिवाकर (ācārya śrī siddhasenadivākara) in his famous treatise titled न्यायावतार (nyāyāvatāra – descent of logic) wherein he declares thus:   

Original	Transliteration	Translation
अनेकान्त्मकं वस्तु गोचरः सर्वसंविदाम्। एकदेशविशिष्टोऽर्थो नयस्य विशेष्यो मतः॥ नयानामेकनिष्ठानां प्रवृक्तेः श्रुतवर्तमनि। संपूर्णर्थविनिश्चायि स्याद्वादश्रुतमुच्यते॥	anekāntmakaṃ vastu gocaraḥ sarvasaṃvidām। ekadeśaviśiṣṭo'rtho nayasya viśeṣyo mataḥ॥ nayānāmekaniṣṭhānāṃ pravṛkteḥ śrutavartamani। saṃpūrṇarthaviniścāyi syādvādaśrutamucyate॥	Since things have many characters (that is, may be conceived from many points of view), they are objects of all-sided knowledge (omniscience); but a thing conceived from one particular point is the object of naya (standpoint – one sided knowledge). The knowledge which determines the full meaning of an object through the employment, in the scriptural method, of one-sided nayas (standpoints) is called syādvādaśruta (dictum of postulate doctrine). -translation by Satish Candra Vibhushana
Sanskrit Reference: न्यायावतार (nyāyāvatāra) (29,30)

Moreover, every such experience is only a नय (naya – relative aspect) of truth or a specific viewpoint of reality which can be interpreted under the following scenarios as postulated by the revered Jain monk आचार्य बद्रबहुर (ācārya badrabahur), in his conceptual framework called सप्तभङ्गिनय / सप्तभङ्गिवाद (saptabhaṅginaya / saptabhaṅgivāda – seven dimensional aspects / seven postulated doctrine) 

Here if you observe carefully, it will be clear that unlike the classical school of द्विगुणतर्क (dviguṇatarka - binary logic), in the case of the ancient school of जैनतर्कवाद (jainatarkavāda – Jain doctrine of logic) is based on त्रिगुणतर्क (triguṇatarka - trinary logic) involving the permutation combination of three primary constructs. 

Some of the eminent modern western logicians who have discussed similar forms of त्रिगुणतर्क (triguṇatarka - trinary logic) include the model of Strong Logic of Indeterminacy (K₃^S) propounded by Stephen Cole Kleene and the model of Logic of Paradox (P₃) propounded by Graham Priest. The truth tables for the truth functions negation (¬), conjunction (∧), disjunction (∨), implication (→K), and biconditional (↔K) is summarized below

An important point to be noted is that there is a subtle difference in tautological interpretations between the models of Kleene and Priest. While in the Kleen’s model Indeterminate (I) is interpreted more pessimistically undetermined as being neither True (T) nor False (F), in the model of Priest, it is interpreted affirmatively overdetermined as both True (T) and False (F).  

In terms of comparative philosophy, while the former model is closer to the famous model of चतुष्कोटितर्क (catuṣkoṭitarka – four-edged logic) originally proposed as part of the शून्यवाद माध्यमकमहायनबौद्धधर्मस्य (śūnyavāda mādhyamakamahāyanabauddhadharmasya – emptiness doctrine of the middle-path greater vehicle buddhism), while the latter is closer to the pluralistic realism of सप्तभङ्गीस्यात्तर्क जैनधर्मस्य (saptabhaṅgīsyāttarka jainadharmasya - sevenfold predication logic of Jainism).  The eminent scholar and subject matter expert Sri Bimal Krishna Matilal, summarizes in his famous book “The Character of Logic in India”, the key differences between these two schools thus:

“Avoidance of the two extremes (anta = one-sided view) was the hallmark of Buddhism. In his dialogue with Kātyāyana, the Buddha is said to have identified "it is" as an "anta" (= extreme) and 'it is not' as the other extreme, and then he said that the Tathāgata must avoid both and resort to the middle. Hence Buddhism is described as the Middle Way. The Mahāvīra's anekānta way consisted also in not clinging to either of them exclusively. Roughly, the difference between Buddhism and Jainism in this respect lies in the fact that the former avoids by rejecting the extremes altogether, while the latter does it by accepting both with qualifications and also by reconciling them. The hallmark of Jainism is, therefore, the attempted reconciliation between opposites.”  

The सप्तभङ्गीस्यात् प्रमाणस्य (saptabhaṅgīsyāt pramāṇasya – sevenfold predication of proof / valid knowledge) can further be explained in the following terms. 

#	स्यात् (syāt –predication)	Mathematical notation	Reference	Type	Example
1	स्यादस्ति (syādasti – perhaps so)	+ (p)	With reference to itself	affirmation only		स्यादस्तियिव घटः (syādastiyiva ghaṭaḥ - may be the jar exists)	May be the jar exists from certain standpoint
2	स्याद्नास्ति (syādnāsti – perhaps not so)	-(~p)	With reference to another	negation only		स्याद्नास्तियेव घटः (syādnāstiyeva ghaṭaḥ - may be the jar does not exists)	May be the jar does not exist from certain standpoint
3	स्यादस्तिनास्ति (syādastināsti – perhaps so and not so)	+- (p & ~p)	With regard to the succession of reference to itself and another (1+2)	affirmation and negation successively		स्यादस्तिनास्ति च घटः (syādastināsti ca ghaṭaḥ - may be the jar is and is not)	May be the jar exists from certain standpoint but does not exist from certain other standpoint
4	स्यादव्यक्तव्यम् (syādavyaktavyam – perhaps so but it is not determinable)	(Ø)	With regard to the simultaneity of reference to itself and another	affirmation and negation simultaneously and hence inexpressible		स्यादव्यक्तव्य एव घटः (syādavyaktavya eva ghaṭaḥ - may be the jar is not expressible)	May be the (existence) of the jar is indeterminable from certain other  standpoint
5	स्यादस्ति च अव्यक्त्यञ्च (syādasti ca avyaktyañca – perhaps it is not determinable)	+(p & Ø)	With regard to reference to itself and simultaneity of reference to itself and another (1+4)	affirmation only and then both simultaneously		स्यादस्ति चावक्तव्यश्च घटः (syādasti cāvaktavyaśca ghaṭaḥ - may be the jar is and is not expressible)	May be the exists from certain standpoint but its (existence) is indeterminable from certain other standpoint
6	स्याद्नास्ति च अव्यक्त्यञ्च (syādnāsti ca avyaktyañca – perhaps it is and is not determinable)	-(~p & Ø)	With regard to reference to another and simultaneity of reference to itself and reference to another (2+4)	negation only and then both simultaneously		स्याद्नास्ति चावक्त्यश्च घटः (syādnāsti cāvaktyaśca ghaṭaḥ - may be the jar is not and is not expressible)	May be the jar is not existing from certain standpoint and indeterminable from certain other  standpoint
7	स्यादस्ति च नास्ति च अव्यक्तव्यञ्च (syādasti ca nāsti ca avyaktavyañca – perhaps it is , it is not and is is indeterminable)	Ø+-(p & ~p)	With regard to reference to another, simultaneity of reference to itself and reference to another. (1+2+4)	Both natures successively and then simultenously		स्यादस्ति नास्ति चावक्तव्यश्च घटः (syādasti nāsti cāvaktavyaśca ghaṭaḥ - may be the jar is, is not, and not expressible)	May be the jar exists from certain standpoint does not exist from certain other standpoint and not-determinable from certain other standpoint.

Please be noted that while the सप्तनयाः (saptanayāḥ - seven standpoints) also referred as the सप्तबङ्गीनयाः (saptabaṅgīnayāḥ – sevenfold predication standpoint)           is based on the विकलदेश (vikaladeśa – imperfect / partial space) applying वैश्लाषिकयुक्ति (vaiślāṣikayukti – analytical technique), the सप्तभङ्गीस्यात् प्रमाणस्य (saptabhaṅgīsyāt pramāṇasya – sevenfold predication of proof / valid knowledge) is based on सकलदेश (sakaladeśa – complete space) applying the सांज़्लेषिक-प्रस्थापना (sāṃleṣika-prasthāpanā – synthetic technique).   

In simple words, नयवाद (nayavāda – standpoint doctrine) and the स्याद्वाद (syādvāda – postulate doctrine) technically complement each other as well summarized by the eminent author Sri Surendranath Dasgupta in his magnum-opus masterpiece A History of Indian Philosophy wherein he explains thus:

 “Thus the Jains hold that no affirmation, or judgment, is absolute in its nature, each is true in its own limited sense only, and for each one of them any of the above seven alternatives (technically called saptabhaṅgī)…There is no universal and absolute position or negation, and all judgments are valid only conditionally. The relation of the naya doctrine with the syādvāda doctrine is therefore this, that for any judgment according to any and every naya there are as many alternatives as are indicated by syādvāda. The validity of such a judgment is therefore only conditional. If this is borne in mind when making any judgment according to any naya, the naya is rightly used. If, however, the judgments are made absolutely according to any particular naya without any reference to other nayas as required by the syādvāda doctrine the nayas are wrongly used as in the case of other systems, and then such judgments are false and should therefore be called false nayas (nayābhāsa).”

I would like to refer here the following verses of the परमाचार्य श्री कुन्दकुन्द (paramācārya śrī kundakunda) concisely explaining the whole concept of अनेकान्तवाद (anekāntavāda) in a nutshell.  

Original	Transliteration	Translation
द्रव्यार्थिकेन सर्वम् ध्रव्यम् तत् पर्व्यायातिह्केन पुनः। भवति चान्यद् अन्यत् तत्काले तन् मयात्वत्॥ स्याद् अस्ति नास्ति उभयम् अव्यक्तव्यम् पुनश् च तत् त्रितयम्। द्रव्यम् खलु सप्त बन्घम् आधेशवाशेन सम्भवति॥	dravyārthikena sarvam dhravyam tat parvyāyātihkena punaḥ| bhavati cānyad anyat tatkāle tan mayātvat|| syād asti nāsti ubhayam avyaktavyam punaś ca tat tritayam| dravyam khalu sapta bangham ādheśavāśena sambhavati||	All objects are fundamentally the same in the absolute but are different from the relative viewpoints influenced by the individual observer’s mindset. Each of these relative interpretations can be classified under the following seven probability events – may be it is, may be not, may be both (is and is not), may be indefinable (as is or is not) , may be it is but yet indefinable, may be indefinable because it is not, may be both and yet indefinable.
Sanskrit Reference: प्रवचनसार (pravacanasāra)