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72
Studies in Indian Philosophy
that the absence of a pot before its production is present in its parts. With the production of the pot this absence ceases to exist.
(b) The absence of an object after its destructicn is called the 'no-more type of absence'. The absence of a pot occurs in its parts when it is destroyed. Both the not-yet type of absence and the no-more type of absence are limited in time. The former has no beginning but has an end, while the latter has a beginning, but no end
(c) The type of relational absence which has neither beginning nor end is called the 'never type of relational absence'. For example, the absence of a colour in air, or the absence of a pot on the ground. Some of the early Naiyāyikas do not consider the absence of a pot on the ground as an example of a never type of absence. They are inclined to treat it as a fourth type of absence which has both a begnning and an end. But the later Naiyāyikas on the ground of ontological simplicity do not accept the fourth type of relational absence. The property of being the counter positive of a never type of relational absence is limited by both a property and an occurrence-exacting relation; but the property of being the count. erpositive of a not-yet and no-more type of relational absence is limited by a property only. This may be considered as one of the distinctive features of a never type of relation absence. Since this feature is very important for our discus. sion of negation let us explain the never type of absence with an example 13. Consider the sentence
(a) A pot is on the ground. From the negation of (a) we will get either (b) The ground has an absence of a pot, or (c) The pot has (the property of ) absence-from-the-ground.
In (b) what is negated is a pot and the limiting relation of the property of being the counterpositive resident in a pot is the relation of contact. But in (c) what is negated is the ground
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