________________
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 Bhagavau Sūtra, 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 space-points. The implication is that the joint predication of two contradictory attributes to the same space-points is purely a case of 'indescribabiliy' 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.
4. The anuyogadvaras and niksepas ... The early Jaina philosophers were fond of explaining things according to predefined lists of heads. Such heads were called anuyogadvăras, doors of disquisition 20 (or 14) märgaņāsthānas 24 (12 or 14) jivasthānas and 14 guṇasthāns may be quoted as illustrations of such lists. There are, however, other lists which had direct philosophical significance. Umāsvāti, in his Tattvārthādhigamasūtra, 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, (Tattvärthādhigamasūtra, 1.5). The following dictum of the Anuyogadvārasūtra, 8, deserves mention. One should fully apply to a subject whatever nikesepas are known about that subiect: and to those subjects whose nikşepas are not known, one should apply the four (viz. dāma, sthāpanā, dravya and bhāva). The Jaina thinkers took a very wide view of the subjects they took up for discussion and employed the nikşepas as the media for the determination of the meaning of words involved in such discussion. The
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
