Facets of Jain Philosophy Religion and Culture

Author(s): Shreechand Rampuriya, Ashwini Kumar, T M Dak, Anil Dutt Mishra
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 186

Anekanta, Svādvada and Saptabhangi 169
affirmation. This fifth predicale is therefore significant in that it reveals the positive aspect of the fourth predicate.
The sixth predicte is 'non-existence and inexpressibility', that is, inexpressibility as qualified by non-existence (which was the second predicate)'. The jar does not exist (in other than its own context) and is inexpressible (syānnāsti cāvaktavyaśca ghatah) The proposition asserts the compresence of non-existence with the inexpressible. The jar is inexpressible (indefinite) qua a synthetic unity of existence and non-existence, but it is none the less expressible (definite) qu a nonexistent. In other words, the 'indefinite' as negating what is other than itself is a negative definite'. Otherwise, the indefinite would turn out to be an absolute negation. This sixth predicate is, therefore, significant in that it reveals the negative aspect of the fourth predicate.
The seventh predicate is 'existence, non-existence and inexpressibility', that is, 'inexpressibility as qualified by existence-and-non-existence (which is the third predicate)'. The jar exists (in its own context) and does not exist in other than its own context) and is inexpressible (svādasti ca năsticăvaktavyaśca ghatah ). The proposition asserts the consecutive presence of existence and non-existence with the inexpressible. The jar is inexpressible (indefinite) qua a synthetic unity of existence and non-existence, but it is none the less expressible (definite) qua existent and non-existent consecutively. In other words, the indefinite' as consecutive affirmation and negation is both a positive and a negative definite. This seventh predicate is significant in that it reveals the double character of the indefinite.
The Seven Predicates as Seven Exhaustive and Unique Modes of Truth
The Seven Predicates are Exhaustive.
We have now explained the import and significance of the seven predicates. We have also seen how the number 'seven is derived by different combinations of the three predicates, viz., existence, non-existence and inexpressibility, and also that no further combination is possible without repeating the same predicate twice. Of the seven predicates, the first and second are simple, the fourth is complex, and the remaining four are compounds constituted by all possible combinations of the first, second and fourth taken two or three at a time. Now if it could be proved that the first, second and fourth predicates-viz., existence, non-existence and