Abhava

Abhava (अभाव) means “non-existence” or “absence.” It is the seventh and final category (padartha) of the Vaisheshika school, representing the ontological status of things that do not exist.

Overview

Abhava was added to the Vaisheshika system by later commentators (possibly Prashastapada or later) to account for the reality of negation. There are four types: (1) purvabhava (prior non-existence — the absence of a thing before it is produced), (2) parabhava (subsequent non-existence — the absence after destruction), (3) anyonyabhava (mutual non-existence — A is not-B), and (4) samsargabhava (absolute non-existence — complete absence). For example, the non-existence of a pot before it is made is purvabhava.

Philosophical Context

Abhava was introduced to address the question of whether negation is real. The Nyaya school argues that abhava is a valid object of cognition — we perceive absence just as we perceive presence (e.g., “I do not see a pot here”). The Bhatta Mimamsa school, however, accepts abhava as real and knows it through anupalabdhi (non-apprehension), while the Prabhakara school denies that non-apprehension produces valid knowledge. The abhava-pramana (non-apprehension as a means of knowing) is debated across schools.

Interpretations

The Nyaya school accepts abhava as a prameya (object of knowledge) and as a real padartha. The Bhatta Mimamsa school (following Kumarila) likewise accepts the reality of abhava, known through anupalabdhi (non-apprehension); the Prabhakara school and the Naiyayikas treat knowledge of absence as reducible to perception or inference. The Advaita Vedanta of Shankara uses abhava to explain maya — the world is neither real nor absolutely unreal but has vyavaharika (empirical) reality and paramarthika (ultimate) non-reality. Buddhist philosophers generally deny abhava as a category, treating negation as a linguistic convention rather than an ontological entity.

Verification Notes

• Vaisheshika Sutras and Padarthadharmasamgraha list abhava as the seventh padartha.
• Nyaya treatment in Tarkasangraha of Annambhatta.
• Audited against Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies (September 2026).