Sūtra 1.1.16 (Characteristics of Attribute)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 1.1.16:

द्रव्याश्रय्यगुणवान् संयोगविभागेष्वकारणमनपेक्ष इति गुणलक्षणम् ॥ १.१.१६ ॥

dravyāśrayyaguṇavān saṃyogavibhāgeṣvakāraṇamanapekṣa iti guṇalakṣaṇam || 1.1.16 ||

dravyāśrayī—inhering in substance; aguṇavān—not possessing Attribute; saṃyoga-vibhāgeṣu—in Conjunctions and Disjunctions; akāraṇam—not a cause; anapekṣaḥ—independent; iti—such; guṇa-lakṣaṇam—mark of Attribute.

16. Inhering in Substance, not possessing Attribute, not an independent cause in Conjunctions and Disjunctions,—such is the mark of Attribute.

Commentary: The Upaskāra of Śaṅkara Miśra:

(English rendering of Śaṅkara Miśra’s commentary called Upaskāra from the 15th century)

Attributes having been enumerated after Substances, he gives their mark.—[Read sūtra 1.1.16 above]

‘Dravyāśrayī’ means that of which the nature is to reside in Substance. This however pervades Substance also. Therefore he says ‘Agunavān’ or Attributeless. Still it over-extends to Action; so he adds. ‘not a cause in Conjunctions and Disjunctions.’ Yet it does not include Conjunction, Disjunction, Merit, Demerit, knowledge of God, etc.; so he adds ‘independent.’ After ‘independent,’ ‘Attribute’ should be supplied. The moaning therefore is that Attribute is that which is not an independent cause of Conjunctions and Disjunctions. Conjunctions and Disjunctions, etc., are depended upon by Conjunction and Disjunction. Attributeness is the characteristic of possessing the genus pervaded by existence and residing in the eternals with eternal functions. The revealer of Attributeness is the causality present in something possessing genus and devoid of combinative causality and non-combinative causality towards Conjunction and Disjunction combined. Conjunction and Disjunction are severally caused by Conjunction and Disjunction, but not jointly. Merit, Demerit, knowledge of God, etc., have been included, because they are only occasional or conditional causes of both and are not their combinative causes or non-combinative causes. Or the revealer of Attributeness is the characteristic, co-extensive with genus, of being devoid of combinative and non-combinative causality towards Conjunction and Disjunction. Or the mark of Attribute is simply the, characteristic of not possessing Attribute along with the possession of Genus and of difference from Action.—16.