Vaisheshika-sutra with Commentary
by Nandalal Sinha | 1923 | 149,770 words | ISBN-13: 9789332869165
The Vaisheshika-sutra 7.2.6, 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 6 (‘indirect proof of unity’) contained in Chapter 2—Of Number, Separateness, Conjunction, etc.—of Book VII (of the examination of attributes and of combination).
Sūtra 7.2.6 (Indirect proof of Unity)
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 7.2.5:
एकत्वाभावाद्भक्तिस्तु न विद्यते ॥ ७.२.६ ॥
ekatvābhāvādbhaktistu na vidyate || 7.2.6 ||
ekatva-abhāvāt—in consequence of the non-existence of Unity; bhaktiḥ—derivative function, Secondariness; tu—but, However; na—not; vidyate—exists.
6. In consequence of the non-existence of Unity, however, secondariness would not exist.
Commentary: The Upaskāra of Śaṅkara Miśra:
(English rendering of Śaṅkara Miśra’s commentary called Upaskāra from the 15th century)
It may be asked: “Let this application of Unity be secondary in the case of substances also and the intuition of it erroneous, what is the use of unity at all?” To this, he replies:
[Read sūtra 7.2.6 above]
If Unity in its transcendental or real sense be nowhere to be observed, then the application of the term could not be secondary, for the secondary, has for its antecedent the primary, use. Nor, again, could the intuition be erroneous, for error has for its antecedent certain knowledge. For it is the certainly known that is (erroneously) attributed, and not the erroneous, for the intuition of the non-existent has been disproved, and the intuition of the otherwise (i.e., the existent) has been proved.—6.
Commentary: The Bhāṣya of Candrakānta:
(English translation of Candrakānta Tarkālaṅkāra’s Bhāṣya called the Vaiśeṣikabhāṣya from the 19th century)
Candrakānta explains VII.ii.6 in support of the interpretation of VII.ii.5, thus: Did not unity exist everywhere, there would be no bhakti, production, of things at all. For, any one thing is the joint product of several things; but there can be no such production in the absence of one-ness or unity; unity, therefore, exists in all places.