Sūtra 7.2.9 (Conjunction, how produced)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Vaiśeṣika sūtra 7.2.9:

अन्यतरकर्मज उभकर्मजः संयोगजश्च संयोगः ॥ ७.२.९ ॥

anyatarakarmaja ubhakarmajaḥ saṃyogajaśca saṃyogaḥ || 7.2.9 ||

anyatara-karma-jaḥ—produced by the action of either of two things; ubhaya-karma-jaḥ—produced by action of both; saṃyoga-jaḥ—produced by conjunction; ca—and; saṃyogaḥ—conjunction.

9. Conjunction is produced by action of any one of two things, is produced by action of both, and is produced by Conjunction, also.

Commentary: The Upaskāra of Śaṅkara Miśra:

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

He begins another section or topic:—

[Read sūtra 7.2.9 above]

Unobstructed intuition that things are conjunct is proof of conjuntion. So also are effects ; e.g., substance, in the case of conjuntions of constituent parts; colour and other attributes produced by burning, in the case of conjunction of fire; particular measure or extension, in the case of accretion; sound, in the case of conjunction of the drum and ether; such other instances should be understood. Nor is Conjunction merely production without the intervention of empty space. The theories of transiency and transformation of things having been thrown away, Conjunction is the coming together which has non-coming together for its antecedent. And it is produced by the action of one of two things; as is the conjunction of a motionless post with a hawk in motion, or the conjunction of one in motion, when the motion is not directed where the conjunction takes place, e.g., conjunction of a runner with the back of another runner. Conjunction produced by the action of both the conjunct is that of two rams or of two wrestlers, since it is produced by both of them exercising strength towards each other. The third (conjunction produced by conjunction) is the conjunction of the hand and the tree resulting from the conjunction of the finger and the tree. And it results sometimes from one conjunction even, as the conjunction of cloth aud reed may result from the conjunction of thread and reed. In some cases, one conjunction is produced from two conjunctions, as from two conjunctions, of ether with two threads, may result only one conjunction of a two-threaded cloth with ether. In some cases, again, a single conjunction is originated even by a plurality of conjunctions, as ten conjunctions of ether with ten threads may originate only one conjunction of a ten-threaded cloth and ether. Sometimes, on the other hand, two conjunctions are produced even from a single conjunction as their non-combinative cause. For example, there having first taken place non-originative conjunction between two ultimate atoms, terrene and aqueous, subsequently two conjunctions, originative of two binary atomic aggregates, are produced, namely, one in the terrene ultimate atom with another terrene ultimate atom, and another in the aqueous ultimate atom with another aqueous ultimate atom. By those two conjunctions inhering in homogeneous things, two binary atomic aggregates are simultaneously produced. Therein by that one non-originative conjunction alone, produced between the terrene and the aqueous ultimate atom, one conjunction of the terrene ultimate atom with the aqueous binary atomic aggregate, and another conjunction of the aqueous ultimate atom with the terrene binary atomic aggregate, are produced simultaneously with the production of the colour, etc., of the two binary atomic aggregates.

Inasmuch as the conjunction of cause and not-cause must necessarily produce conjunctions of effect and not-effect, the conjunction of all-pervading substances (viz., Space, Time, Ether and Soul) with dense or corporal bodies is produced by action of one of the two only. Of two all-pervading substances, however, there is no conjunction, since there is no cause (of conjunction). For in them there is no action, nor is there any (combinative) cause; hence there cannot be in this case also conjunction of effect and not-effect resulting from conjunction of cause and not-cause. Eternal conjunction, on the other hand, is not possible, for conjunction is the coming together of two things, which has the not-coming together as its antecedent, and eternality is opposed to it. And were conjunction eternal, Disjunction also would be without production; and eternality of conjunction will not be obtained, since it would be impossibe for Conjunction and Disjunction, which are contradictories, to exist side by side in their indestructible states. Moreover, yuta-siddhi or uncombined or naturally unassociated existence is a necessary condition of Conjunction, and it is not possible in the case of two all-pervading substances. For yuta-siddhi is merely the separate existence of two or of one of two (unrelated) things, or the relation of one thing being inherent in another, as its substratum, when the two have been externally brought into relation with each other.

Destruction of Conjunction, however, results from Disjunction having a common substratum with Conjunction. In some cases it results from destruction of substratum also. For example, action is produced in the constituent fibre of a thread immediately after the Conjunction of two threads; thereby is caused Disjunction from another fibre; from Disjunction results destruction of originative conjunction; from this follows destruction of the thread; and from destruction of the thread results destruction of Conjunction, where two threads having been long conjoined, action is not produced in them. Some, on the contrary, maintain that Conjunction is destroyed by simultaneously produced destruction of substratum, and by Disjunction, inasmuch as action is conceived to exist in another thread at the moment when by action in the constituent parts of a thread there is effected destruction of Conjunction originative of the thread. This is impossible; for there can be no production of Disjunction at the moment of destruction of the combinative cause, since the rule is that the combinative cause is of equal duration with the effect.

This same Conjunction which is an independent agent in the origination of substances, and a dependent agent in the origination of attributes and actions, is the counter-opposite of the absolute nonexistence existing in the same substratum with itself, since it is observed to be so. For it is perceived that there is conjunction of an ape in the Banyan tree, although conjunction of the ape present in a large Banyan tree is limited to a branch only. Were such mere limitation to a part not sufficient to account for it, then conjunction would come to exist in ultimate atoms, and so would not be cognizable. In the case of the all-pervading substances also, it is the difference of upādhi, adjunct or external condition, which serves to localise them. Conjunction present by limitation to that is not pervaded in its denotation. Of Conjunction residing in the ultimate atoms also, direction in space, and the like should be regarded as determinants.—9.