Sūtra 7.1.8 (Non-cognition of Minuteness and cognition of Magnitude)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 7.1.8:

अणोर्महतश्चोपलब्ध्यनुपलब्धी नित्ये व्याख्याते ॥ ७.१.८ ॥

aṇormahataścopalabdhyanupalabdhī nitye vyākhyāte || 7.1.8 ||

aṇoḥ—of the atom or atomic; mahataḥ—of the molecular or the dense or the extended; ca—and; upalabdhi-anupalabdhī—cognition and non-cognition; nitye—in (the book treating of) the eternal; vyākhyāte—explained.

8. Cognition and non-cognition of the atomic and the extended or massive, respectively, have been explained in (the fourth book treating of) the eternal.

Commentary: The Upaskāra of Śaṅkara Miśra:

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

[Full title: Non-cognition of Minuteness and cognition of Magnitude, explained before].

Having elucidated Colour, Taste, Smell, and Touch, by long discourses, and going to begin first the examination of Measure of Extension, in violation of the order of enumeration (of the Attributes), following the maxim^[1] of the needle and the kettle, inasmuch as Measure of Extension is proved by co amon consent, whereas there is a wide range of divergent views on the question of Number,—he says:

[Read sūtra 7.1.8 above]

The term, ‘in the eternal,’ signifies the fourth book, demonstrative of the eternal, i.e., the container, by the contained. ‘Cognition and non-cognition’: The application (of these words) will be according to relevancy, on the maxim, “When one thing is relevant to another, it belongs to that other, even though lying at a distance.” So that the proposition, “Non-cognition of the atomic” is obtained. In like manner, in the perceptual cognition, therefore, namely, “large, blue jug,” Measure or Extension also is as much an object (of perception) as blue colour. And by means of this Measure or Extension, Measure or Extension terminating in the ultimate atom, is inferred, as also from Substance-ness. Moreover, n the perceptibility of Substance, Measure or Extension also is a cause, like colour; for, without magnitude, substance cannot be perceptible. It is, therefore, ascertained that, as being a cause of the perceptibility of Substance, and being itself perceptible, an attribute, called Measure or Extension, exists. For, were the distinctive form of a water-pot, etc., its Measure or Extension, a man would bring any water-pot, when he was told to bring “mahat”, the massive or the extended, and thus there would be a contradiction between the order of the master and the apprehension of it by the servant. Likewise from the term water-pot, Measure or Extension would be understood, or from the term, Measure or Extension, a water-pot.

Measure or Extension is the non-common or specific cause of the usage or application of measures, or a universal attribute inhering in the object which is the cause of the perceptual cognition of Substance. Application of measures is the application of cubits, etc., but not the application of weights, numbers, etc., This Measure or Extension is of four kinds, namely, Largeness, Smallness, Length, and Shortness. Of these, extreme largeness and extreme length exist in the four ‘universals’ (i.e., Space, Time, Ether, and Soul); extreme smallness and extreme shortness exist in the ultimate atoms; the next (higher) degree of smallness and shortness exists in binary atomic aggregates; largeness and length exist in substances from tertiary atomic aggregates upwards to composite wholes (or compound bodieṣ as they exist in nature). In this manner, all substances whatever possess two Measures or Extensions. The attribution of smallness to a vilva or a bael fruit, āmalaka (phylanthus emblica), etc., and of shortness to fuel-sticks, etc., is relative. And relativity here denotes non-existence of bulkiness. The bulkiness that exists in the āmalaka (emblic myrobalan), does not exist in the jujube; the bulkiness that exists in the vilva, does not exist in the āmalaka. It is this bulkiness, which is the denotation of the term, relativity, inasmuch as it partakes of both the primary and secondary uses.

Some maintain that length and shortness do not exist in the eternal substances. Others hold that these are not even modes of Measure or Extension; for, what they mean is this: As in the command, “Bring the longer ones from amongst these bodies,” so also in the command, “Bring the spherical and the triangular ones from amongst these bodies,” discrimination being equally possible, sphericity or roundness, etc., also could then have to be admitted as modes of Measure or Extension.—3.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The maxim of the needle and the kettle is that when a man has got to turn out a needle and a kettle, he first makes the needle, the smaller and easier piece of work, and then devotes his whole attention, energy, and time to the manufacture of the kettle, the large and more difficult piece of work.