________________
( 27 )
originally enumerated by Kaņāda to be six in number. Of course, the necessity of abhāva (VS. V. 2. 19) had been recognized by Kaņāda and his commentators, but until the time of Śivāditya it did not receive any independent treatment as a category. Śivāditya is perhaps the first man to recognize seven categories and thus his treatise is aptly named Saptapadārthi, a book dealing with seven categories, to mark it out from other treatises dealing with six positive (bhāva) categories of the Vaišeşika.
Sivāditya’s Saptapadārthì follows the Vaiseșikasūtra. in the treatment of categories and the arrangement of subjects introducing the substance of the Nyāya system of logical interest. The category of abhāva and the subdivisions of the quality of cognition (buddhi) are, of course, new. The work proceeds with the enumeration of the seven categories, their subdivisions and definitions explaining in detail, in simple style, the purpose of the enumeration and the nature of the Highest Bliss constituting the end of all those seven categories.
The book is printed, ed. A. Winter, Leipzig, 1893; trans. ZDMG. LIII. 328ff, translated into English by D. Gurumūrti, Madras and N. Vedāntatīrtha, Calcutta Sanskrit Series, No. VIII, Introduction, 1934.
7436.
1761. Saptapadārthi.
Substance, country-made paper. 10 X 44 inches. Folia, 9. Lines, 9 on a page. Character, Nāgara of the Marwari Jaina type of the 18th century. Appearance, old. Complete.
A second copy.
