निमित्त व उपादान के अंतःसंबंध : एक सूक्ष्म दृष्टि

Summary

The text examines the relationship between nimitta (instrumental cause) and upadana (material cause) from the perspective of anekanta (non-absolutism) in Jain philosophy. It begins by noting that the cause-effect relationship has always been a subject of discussion, with theistic traditions tracing causation to God, while Jain philosophy offers a deeper analysis. The Jain acharya Siddhasena, in the second-third century CE, wrote in the Sanmatisutra that five causes—time, nature, destiny, prior action (nimitta), and human effort—together produce any effect. Accepting only one of these as the sole cause is considered ekanta (absolutism) and false view, while recognizing all five equally is anekanta and right view. The text highlights a key statement by Acharya Vidyānanda Muni: "Nimitta does nothing, but without nimitta nothing happens." This means that each substance has its own upadana, and if the upadana lacks inherent capacity, even countless nimittas cannot produce an effect. Conversely, however much capacity the upadana has, it cannot transform without the presence of nimitta. The text identifies two types of people in society: nimitta-priya (those who favor nimitta) and upadana-priya (those who favor upadana). Nimitta-priya people focus on external rituals and neglect inner purity, while upadana-priya people neglect external practices and sometimes even deny the existence of nimitta. The text then applies the syadvada seven-fold predication to analyze nimitta and upadana as distinct entities. From the perspective of anekanta, nimitta exists in its own form but not in the form of upadana, and similarly upadana exists in its own form but not in nimitta. If one claims that nimitta also performs the function of upadana, or vice versa, that would be ekanta. The conclusion is that both nimitta and upadana are fully independent entities, and their relationship should be