________________
the Bhagavati Sūtra XII. 10.211-226. Here the things are judged under the categories of 'self' (āyā Skt. ātman) and 'not-self' (no-āyā Skt. noātman). An object is characterized as 'self' in some respect (siya āyā), ‘not-self' in some respect (siya no-āyā), and 'indescribable, that is, both self and not-self' in some respect (siya avattavvam āyā'ti ya no-āyā' tiya). These three attributes are predicated of an object, noncomposite or composite, respectively from the standpoints of existent characters, nonexistent characters, and existent-cum-nonexistent characters. In the case
he obiects that are noncomposite (for instance, a monad), the attributes are only three in number, viz. self, not-self and indescribable. Here 'indescribable' means the impossibility of the object being spoken of or described exclusively as 'self' or ‘not-self', besause of the same object being both (self and not-self) at the same time. These three attributes however, become six in the case of a dyad (a composite body of two space-points) as follows: (1) self, (2) not-self, (3) indescribable, (4) self and not-self (one attribute for each space-point), (5) self and indescribable (one attribute for each space-point), (6) not-self and indescribable (one attribute for each space-point). These six ways again become seven in the case of a triad (a composite body of three space points) in the following way: (1) to (6) as above, and (7) self, not self and indescribable (one attribute for each of the three space points). Here the fourth, fifth and sixth ways have each two more subdivision. Thus the fourth, viz. self and not-self, has the following two additional subdivisions-(1) self (for two space-yoints) and not-self (for the remaining one space point). The fifth and sixth ways also have similar subdivisions. The text referred to above gives the divisions and subdivisions of the tetrad, pentad and hexad also. The basic ways however do never exceed the number seven as in the case of the triad, though the number of subdivisions gradually go up on account of the various possible combinations of the space-points. The basic seven ways enumarated above are the prototypes of later seven bhangas of what is called saptabhangi (the doctrine of sevenfold predication). What is to be carefully noticed in this connection is the fact that according to the Bhagavati Sūtra, the joint predication of the attributes 'self' and 'not-self' to a monad is not possible because the monad has only one space-point. Such predication is only possible of a dyad which has two space-points. Similarly, the simultaneous predication of three attributes is only possible in the case of triad which has three space-point. The implication is that the joint predication of two contradictory attributes to the same space-points is purely a case of 'indescribability' and not an illustration of a dual predication of self and notself. The dual predication is meaningful only if the object has two parts
116
Tulasĩ Prajñã
