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152 / JAIN STUDIES AND SCIENCE
(7) minimal highest innumerate, (8) medium highest innumerate, and (9) maximal highest innumerate. There are eight types of the infinite - (1) minimal lowest infinite, (2) medium lowest infinite, (3) maximal lowest infinite,
(4) minimal average infinite,
(5) medium average infinite, (6) maximal average infinite, (7) minimal highest infinite, and
(8) medium highest infinite
The ninth possibility of ‘maximal highest infinite' has been treated as absolute infinity and thus discarded as non-existent. This is termed as
Asadbhav'. This presumption was premeditated as the absolute zero was considered non-existent. By simple analogy, absolute infinity is not possible; any thing can only tends to become absolutely infinite. Infinitum and Innumerate
Various similes were employed in the process of building the counting patterns running into innumerate and further to infinite. A description of four concentric cylinders (cups) namely, Anavasthith, Shalaka, Pratishalaka and Mahashalaka is very interesting. An imaginary process of emptying the seed contents of these cups into the volumes of Jambu Island, Lavan Ocean, Dhatkikhand and so on; results in the seventeen categories of innumerate and infinites as enlisted above. The process of selecting lowest, highest and median is very similar to that employed in the modern statistics, where the smallest and largest samples of data are excluded from the series of numbers used for calculating the median or average.
The word infinite in the Jain canonical literature has been extensively used. The meaning of this word assumes slight variations with the changed context. Mahapragya defines that which does not come to an end is called infinite. This definition fits in all the references where this word is employed.
Numerate is subject to calculations and counting. Innumerate is not subject
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