UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Anekantavada is the Jaina principle of non-one-sidedness, asserting that reality possesses many facets and can be viewed from different valid standpoints. It challenges dogmatic claims that describe things in purely absolute terms. This doctrine undergirds the Jaina emphasis on intellectual humility and tolerance. Therefore the many-sidedness doctrine in the stem is anekantavada.

Option A:
Option A, syadvada, is the doctrine of conditional predication that gives a linguistic and logical expression to the spirit of anekantavada, but it is not the more fundamental metaphysical thesis itself. Syadvada shows how statements should be qualified, whereas anekantavada explains why such qualification is needed.

Option B:
Option B is correct because anekantavada literally means "doctrine of not-one-sidedness" and is explicitly introduced by Jainas to account for the complexity and diversity of real objects. It anchors their broader logical and ethical outlook.

Option C:
Option C, saptabhangi, refers to the sevenfold scheme of predication used within syadvada and is even more specific in scope. It does not name the overarching doctrine of many-sided reality.

Option D:
Option D, paroksha, denotes indirect knowledge and belongs to Jaina epistemology rather than to their metaphysical view of the structure of reality.