Vaisheshika-sutra with Commentary
by Nandalal Sinha | 1923 | 149,770 words | ISBN-13: 9789332869165
The Vaisheshika-sutra 2.1.18, English translation, including commentaries such as the Upaskara of Shankara Mishra, the Vivriti of Jayanarayana-Tarkapanchanana and the Bhashya of Chandrakanta. The Vaisheshika Sutras teaches the science freedom (moksha-shastra) and the various aspects of the soul (eg., it's nature, suffering and rebirth under the law of karma). This is sutra 8 (‘existence of god’) contained in Chapter 1—Of Earth, Waters, Fire, Air, and Ether—of Book II (of substances).
Sūtra 2.1.18 (Existence of God)
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 2.1.18:
संज्ञाकर्म त्वस्मद्विशिष्टानां लिङ्गम् ॥ २.१.१८ ॥
saṃjñākarma tvasmadviśiṣṭānāṃ liṅgam || 2.1.18 ||
saṃjñā-karma—name and effect; tu—on the other hand, But; asmad-viśiṣṭānām—beings distinguished from, other than, or superior to ourselves; liṅgam—mark.
18. But name and effect arc the mark (of the existence) of beings distinguished from ourselves.
Commentary: The Upaskāra of Śaṅkara Miśra:
(English rendering of Śaṅkara Miśra’s commentary called Upaskāra from the 15th century)
Having thus finished the section on Air, ho establishes that the Veda is the revelation by the All-knower, in order to answer the objection, “Is then the name, Air, also, like the names, dittha and davittha (i.e., the gibberish or abracadabra), uttered by a mad man?”, and with a view to open the section on Īśvara or God, he says.
[Read sūtra 2.1.18 above]
The word ‘tu’ has the sense of differentiating from such other marks as Touch, etc. ‘Saṃjñā’ i.e., ‘name,’ ‘karma’ effect, e.g., Earth, etc.—both of them are the marks of the existence also of beings distinguished from ourselves, namely, Īśvara and great sages.—18.