Sūtra 2.2.14 (Directions explained)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 2.2.14:

आदित्यसंयोगात् भूतपूर्वात् भविष्यतो भूताच्च प्राची ॥ २.२.१४ ॥

ādityasaṃyogāt bhūtapūrvāt bhaviṣyato bhūtācca prācī || 2.2.14 ||

āditya-sāṃyogāt—from the conjunction of the sun; bhūta-pūrvāt—past and gone; bhaviṣyataḥ—future; bhūtāt—what has taken place or come into existence; present; ca—and; prācī—east (lit; Orient).

14. (The direction comes to be regarded as) the east, from the past, future, or present conjunction of the sun—93.

Commentary: The Upaskāra of Śaṅkara Miśra:

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

Showing the aforesaid divergence of effects, he says:

[Read sūtra 2.2.14 above]

The east (prācī) is so called, because the sun first (prāk) moves (añcati) there. Thus that direction is called the east, wherein the first conjunction of the sun took place, or will take place, or is taking place in the course of its circulation round Mount Meru.

Here the reference to the three times rests upon the difference, of the conceptions of the present (i.e., the observer). For with some one on the morning of the previous day, the conjunction of the sun first took place in this direction; therefore it is the east; so the use of the word, east. With some other, the next day, the conjunction of the sun will first take place in this direction; so, in view of this, the use of the word, east. With some other, again, at this moment, the conjunction of the sun is taking place in this direction; so, in view of this, the use of the word, east. In the word, ‘bhūtāt,’ the affix, ‘kta,’ is used in the sense of incipient action. Therefore, no fixed point being invariably necessary, the repetition of the use of the word, east, is proved also in those cases, even where there is no conjunction of the sun, as at night, or at mid-day, etc. This is the import.—14.