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Anekanta 141
possible combinations of the space-points. The basic seven ways enumarated above are the prototypes of later seven bhangas of what is called saptabhangi (the doctrine of sevenfold predication). What is to be carefully noticed in this connection is the fact that according to the Bhagavati Sutra, the joint predication of the attributes 'self and 'not-self to a monad is not possible because the monad has only one space-point. Such predication is only possible of a dyad which has two space-points. Similarly, the simultaneous predication of three attributes is only possible in the case of triad which has three spacepoints. The implication is that the joint predication of two contradictory attributes to the same space-points is purely a case of 'indescribability' and not an illustration of a dual predication of self and notself. The dual predication is meaningful only if the object has two parts in order that each individual attribute may find its own accommodation. The later Jaina philosophers, however, did not find any difficulty in such predication, and they made the dual predication ('is' and 'is not used by them in place of 'self and 'not-self) irrespective of the noncomposite or composite character of the object. Some of them also interchanged the positions of the third and fourth attributes.
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4. The anuyogadvaras and niksepas
The early Jaina philosphers were fond of explaining things according to predefined lists of heads. Such heads were called anuyogadvāras, doors of disquisition 20 (or 14) mārganāsthānas 24 (12 or 14) jivasthanas and 14 gunasthans may be quoted as illustrations of such lists. There are, however, other lists which had direct philosophical significance. Umāsvāti, in his Tattvarthadhigamasutra, 1,7,8,16,26 has given such lists, which can mostly be traced back to the Jain Agamas. These doors of disquisition played an important role in the evolution of the doctrine of anekānta. The Jaina doctrine of four niksepas is the final outcome of the speculations concerning the doors of disquisition. The niksepas were many, but finally they were reduced to four nāma, sthāpanā, dravya and bhava, (Tattvārthāndhigamasūtra,1.5). The following dictum of the Anuyogadvarasūtra, 8, deserves mention. One should fully apply to a subject whatever nikesepas are known about that subject; and to those subjects whose niksepas are not known, one should apply the four (viz. nāmā, sthapanā, dravya and bhāva). The Jaina thinkers took a very wide view of the subjects they took up for discussion and employed the niksepas as the media for the determination of the meaning of words involved in such discussion. The
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