Text 17

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Text 17:

कारणत्वम् चान्यत्र पारिमाण्डल्यादिभ्यः ॥ १७ ॥

kāraṇatvam cānyatra pārimāṇḍalyādibhyaḥ || 17 ||

Text (17):—The quality of being the cause belongs to all (Substances, Qualities and Actions) except the ‘atomic measure’ &c.

Commentary: The Nyāyakandalī of Śrīdhara.

(English rendering of Śrīdhara’s commentary called Nyāyakandalī or Nyāyakaṇḍalī from the 10th century)

The etcetera includes—(1) the dimension of the diad, (2) the omnipresence of Ākāśa, Time, Space and Self, (3) the ‘final’ sound, (4) the dimension of the mind, (5) Posteriority and Priority, (6) Dual Separateness, and (7) Dimension of the ultimate bodied substance. Barring these, to all Substances, Qualities and Action, belongs the character of the cause material and non-material.

Though Substance is never the non-material cause, and Qualities and Actions never appear as material causes,—yet the similarity spoken of consists in the fact of these appearing as causes other than the Instrumental.

Notes:

Under ‘Pārimāṇḍalya,’ the Kiraṇāvalī includes the following:—(1) The Largest Dimension, (2) The colour, Taste, Odour, Touch and Dimension, of the ultimate bodied substance, (3) Dual separateness, (4) Distance, (5) Proximity, (6) The Conjunction, Disjunction, Speed and Action of substances in the state of destruction, (7) The Final sound, (8) The Final Faculty, or potency.

Parimāṇas, Dimensions have the nature of causing or bringing about a parimāṇa or dimension of a degree higher than themselves; and it is for this reason that no ultimate Parimāṇas can ever be causes.

Cause.—That is the cause, on the existence of which something else exists, and on the non existence of which this latter does not exist. (Nyāyavārtika p. 24.) Causes are of two kinds—Principal and Secondary. To the former kind belong the three classes of cause—viz. (1) the Samavāyi or material cause, as the atoms of the universe, (2) the asamavāyi, or non-material cause, e.g. the conjunction of the atoms, and (3) the nimitta or Instrumental cause, e. g. God’s wish to create. This according to the Naiyāyika and the Vaiśeṣika.

The Vedānti admits of only two kinds of cause—(1) the nimitta, eg. Brahma of the universe; (2) the upādāna or material cause e.g. the atoms directly and Brahma indirectly. According to the Sāṅkhyas, Prakṛti is both the nimitta and the upādāna kāraṇa of the universe. It may be remarked in passing that the nimittakāraṇa includes the ‘efficient”Formal’ and ‘final’ cause of Aristotle, as the Upādāna or Samavāyi Kāraṇa includes his ‘material’ cause.