________________
240
TATTVASANGRAHA - CHAPTER VIII.
TEXT (378)
AS REGARDS ANNIHILATION', AS IT CAN HAVE NO ESSENCE (CHARACTER), IT CANNOT COME INTO EXISTENCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE THING AND AS REGARDS THE PRESENCE OF THE
CHARACTER OP OOMING INTO EXISTENCE AFTER - HAVING NOT EXISTED BEFORE', THIS IS PRECISELY LIKE THE SKY-LOTUS AND
OTHER THINGS.—(378)
COMMENTARY.
Such characters as "coming into existence immediately after the thing, and the like can exist in things only, never in a non-entity, like the 'Hare's Horns'; and Annihilation' has no 'essence', no character ;-how then can it have any such character as 'coming immediately after the thing! and the like 7
As regards the presence of the character of coming into existence, having been not in existence before'; the particle cha' includes the character of being occasional.-(378)
“If that is so, if Annihilation has not the character of coming into e.cistence immediately after the thing, then what can be the meaning of the assertion that there is Annihilation of the thing'? When something does not belong to a thing, it can never be attributed to it."
The answer to this is provided in the following
TEXT (379) WHEN IT IS SAID THAT THERE IS Annihilation OF THE THING", WHAT IS MEANT IS THAT THE THING IS NOT THERE'. AND IT IS NOT MEANT TO CONVEY THE AFFIRMATION
(PREDICATION) OF ANY THING.-(379)
COMMENTARY.
Even though the assertion there is Annihilation of the thing' appears to be affirmative of Annihilation, yet what is really meant is only the nega. tion of the Thing itself, and not the affirmation of any positive entity.-(379)
"In such expressions as 'It is Chaitra's Son', it is the existence of the son that is affirmed; so in the expression There is Annihilation of the thing', it must be the presence of the Annihilation that is affirmed."
This is answered in the following
