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words the existence of pen in respect of its own Dravya, Kșetra, Kāla and Bhāva can not maintain its identity, if non-existence of pen in respect of other Dravya, Kșetra, Kāla and Bhāva is not considered the concomitant aspect of pen. Thus, both existence and non-existence are copresent in the pen without any contradiction. According to the Jaina, non-existence is as much constitutive of the nature of thing as existence. The critics fail to see that contradictory statement can be made about a thing, if context is changed. The conviction of the Jaina is that if this proposition is denied, it shall be difficult for us to account for the differences of things. Hence, by asserting this proposition We come across a new aspect of thing which is not given in the first proposition.
3. The third proposition is : Syāt pen exists and does not exist. In this proposition the two attributes of existence and nonexistence in their relevant contexts are successively predicated of the pen. Thus this proposition which appears merely the summation of the first two propositions, is not really so. It expresses a new aspect of pen under consideration. This aspect is not present either in the first or in the second proposition considered separately. If mathematics is our guide, the third proposition is nothing but a summation of the first two. But according to the Jaina experience which is our sole guide tells us that the combination or separate units gives rise to a distinctive attribute. In the word 'go', though the two letters g and o are merely combined yet this combination gives rise to distinctive meaning, not apprehended in any of its constituent elements.
4. The fourth proposition is : Syāt pen is inexpressible. In this proposition the two attributes of existence and nonexistence instead of being asserted successively as in the third proposition, are asserted simultaneously. The need for simultaneous assertion of these oppositive attributes is man's desire to express in words the apprehension of pen as such. Since words are incapable of expressing this apprehension of pen the pen is inexpressible. It may be noted here that inexpressibility is
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