Vaisheshika-sutra with Commentary

by Nandalal Sinha | 1923 | 149,770 words | ISBN-13: 9789332869165

The Vaisheshika-sutra 3.2.19, 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 9 (‘unity of soul, an an objection’) contained in Chapter 2—Of the Inference of Soul and Mind—of Book III (of soul and mind).

Sūtra 3.2.19 (Unity of Soul, an an objection)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 3.2.19:

सुखदुःख ज्ञाननिष्पत्त्यविशेषादैकात्म्यम् ॥ ३.२.१९ ॥

sukhaduḥkha jñānaniṣpattyaviśeṣādaikātmyam || 3.2.19 ||

sukha-duḥkha-jñāna-niṣpatti-aviśeṣāt—because there is no difference in the production of pleasure, pain, and knowledge; aikātmyam—identity or unity of Soul.

19. Soul is one, since there is no difference in the production of pleasure, pain, and knowledge.

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 the investigation of the Soul, he now begins the section on the plurality of Souls. Therein the following aphorism sets forth an adverse doctrine.

[Read sūtra 3.2.19 above]

There is only one Soul, in spite of the difference of the bodies of Caitra, Maitra, and others. Why? Because of the non-distinction in the production of pleasure, pain, and knowledge, i.e., because the origin of pleasure, pain, and knowledge is really undifferentiated in this that it is determined by, or confined to, the body as a whole- If there were another mark to prove the difference of the Soul, the difference of the Soul might be proved, but there is no such mark. As Ether is only one, in spite of the production of Sounds within the limits of particular spaces, since there is no distinction in Sound which is its mark; as Time is only one, since there is no distinction in the intuition of simultaneity, etc., which is its mark; as Space is only one, since there is no distinction in the intuition of East, West, etc., which is its mark; (so the Soul is only one).—19.

Viviṛti.—It may be urged that the identity of Jīva and Īśvara must be admitted, on the strength of the texts of the Veda, “One only, without a second. “tatvamasi śvetaketo”—“Thou, O Śveṭaketu, art that,” (Chāndogya Upaniṣad VI. viii. 7), etc. It cannot be held that difference is proved by the aforesaid inference; because, pleasure, pain, etc., being properties of the internal organ, are unproved by themselves (i.e., have no independent existence). Thus says the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣnd, I. V. 3.,—“kāmam saṃkalpovicikitsāśraddhā'śraddhā dhṛtiradhṛtirhrīrdhīrbhīretat”—“Desire, intention, Doubt, Faith, Unfaith, Patience, Impatience, Modesty, Intelligence, Awe,—all this is verily Mind” Here the word Desire denotes pleasure, and the word Intelligence denotes knowledge in the from of a faculty. Moreover, pain, also, appearing, as it does, in co-existence with pleasure, cannot be an attribute of the Soul.

This he apprehends:

The meaning is that, “aviśeṣāt” i.e., becasue the difference of the Jīvātmā (embodied Soul) from tśvara is not proved, “niṣpa[?]yā” i.e., by the certainty or ascertainment, i.e., of pleasure, pain, and knowledge; in other words, they, being proved in the mind by the above Śruti or Vedic text, are thereby disproved in the Soul.

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