Vaisheshika-sutra with Commentary
by Nandalal Sinha | 1923 | 149,770 words | ISBN-13: 9789332869165
The Vaisheshika-sutra 6.2.3, 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 3 (‘other sources of dharma and sources of adharma’) contained in Chapter 2—Of the Production of Dharma and A-dharma—of Book VI (of the investigation of dharma and a-dharma.).
Sūtra 6.2.3 (Other sources of dharma and sources of adharma)
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 6.2.3:
चातुराश्रम्यमुपधा अनुपधाश्च ॥ ६.२.३ ॥
cāturāśramyamupadhā anupadhāśca || 6.2.3 ||
cāturāśramyaṃ—the observance of the four Āśramas or stages of holy living, viz; , the life of continence and scholarship—the life of a householder, the life of retirement in the woods, and the life of absolute selfrenunciation, (lit; living on alms). upadhāḥ—defects in respect of faith, misbeliefs and disbeliefs; anupadhā—non-defects in respect of faith, beliefs; ca—and.
3. The observance of the four Āśramas (has been already mentioned). Misbeliefs and disbeliefs as well as beliefs are also (sources of adṛṣṭa or dharma and adharma).
Commentary: The Upaskāra of Śaṅkara Miśra:
(English rendering of Śaṅkara Miśra’s commentary called Upaskāra from the 15th century)
Having thus mentioned the sources of dharma, he now mentions them along with the sources of adharma also:
[Read sūtra 6.2.3 above]
That which is the means of dharma, common to the four Āśramas, has been, (and thus the sentence should be completed), exhaustively denoted by the preceding aphorism alone. ‘Upadhā’ means defects of bhāva (i.e., sentiment) or faith; ‘anupadhā’, means non-defects of bhāva or faith. They too should be understood to be the sources of dharma and adharma, according to themselves. By the word, ‘upadhā’, all the means of adharma have been included.—3.