Introduction to Jainism

Author(s): A B Latthe
Publisher: Natha Rangaji

Page 63

Jainism.
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the production of something not proviously existing, when we look at it from the former point fo view, i. e., as a Dravya or substance. So when a soul becomes, through his merits or demerits, a god, a man, or a denizen of hell, from the first point view, the being is the same, but from the second he is not the second, i. e., different in each case. So that, you can affirm or deny something of a thing at one and the same time. This leads to the celebrated Saptabhanginyaya or the seven modes of assertion. You can affirm existence of a thing from one point of view (Syad asti ), deny it from another (Syan nasti ); and affirm both existence and nonexistence with refereuce to it at differe
nt times (Syad asti nasti ). If you should think of affirming both existence and nonexistence at the same time from the same point of view, you must say that thing cannot be so spoken of (Syad avaktavya ); similarly under certain circumstances the affirmation of existence is not possible (Syad asti avaktavya ); of