Anekantavada is a core theory and philosophy of which one of the following?

Answer: (b) Jainism

Anekantavada, the doctrine that reality has many sides and no single view captures all of it, is one of the two central doctrines of Jaina philosophy, the other being Syadvada.

• ✓ (b) Jainism: anekantavada means 'not one-sided'; truth has many aspects.
• ✗ (a) Buddhism is known for the Middle Path and the Four Noble Truths, not anekantavada.

Remember · Jainism: anekantavada (many-sidedness) and syadvada (conditional predication).

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2009, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2009: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error