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JAINA THEORIES OF REALITY AND KNOWLEDGE
paradravyädicatuştaya, respectively. They may be referred to, briefly, in English, as self-quaternary and other-quaternary. After these few preliminary observations we may now proceed to elucidate the nature and the modes of the method of the sevenfold predication.
Syādvāda' (The Conditional Dialectic) or Saptabhangi
(The Theory of Sevenfold Predication)
Syädväda or Saptabhangī is that conditional method in in which the modes, or predications (bhangāḥ) affirm (vidhi), negate (nişedha) or both affirm and negate, severally (p?thagbhūta) or jointly (samudita), in seven different ways, a certain attribute (dharma) of a thing (vastu) without incompatibility (avirodhena) in a certain context (praśnavaśāt).'
1. • Although 'syādvāda' is the most popular name it has various
synonyms like samhāravāda, sarvavastuśabalavada, akulavada sankirņavāda, tadatattvavāda, and vibhajyavāda. See AJP, Vol.
I, Intro. p. IX and f. n. 5 thereon. 2. Incompatibility includes not merely consistency with the other
modes, in the method, but also with the valid knowledge, per
ceptual (pratyakşa) or otherwise (parokşa). 3. Cf. Mallisena's definition: ekatra jīvādau vastuni ekaikasattvādi
dharmavişayapraśnavaśāt avirodhena pratyakşādibâdhāparihāreņa pộthagbhutayoḥ samuditayoś ca vidhinişedhayoḥ paryālocanayā kļtvā syacchabdalāñchito vakşyamāṇaḥ saptabhiḥ prakāraiḥ vacanavinyasah saptabhangiti giyate/ SM, pp. 142-3. Akalanka puts the same, cryptically, as follows: praśnavaśāt ekatra vastuni avirodhena vidhipratişedhakalpanā saptabhangi/ TRAG, p. 24.
The following two definitions are by Vādideva and Vimaladāsa, respectively: Ekatra vastuni ekaikadharmaparyanuyogavaśāt avirodhena vyastayoḥ samastayoś ca vidhinişedhayoḥ kalpanayā syātkārāńkitah saptadhā vākyaprayogah saptabhangi/ PNTA, EV 14 in SRK, p. 716. tallaksanaṁ tu prāśnikapraśnajñāna-prayojyatve sati ekavastuvišeşyaka-aviruddhavidhipratişedhātmaka-dharmaprakāraka-bodhajanaka-saptavākyaparyāpta-samudāyatvam/ SBT, p. 3.
