4. The Concept of Mind in Nyāya Darśana and Vaiśeṣika Darśana

Gautama, the author of the Nyāyasūtras, is the founder of the Nyāya system. The system has evolved as a realistic theory of knowledge. The system has derived its name from the word Nyāya which means ‘argumentation’ and indirectly indicates an analytical and logical method. The philosophy of Nyāya is based on the study of sixteen philosophical topics. They arethe means of right knowledge (pramāṇa), knowable (prameya), doubt (samsayā), purpose (prayojana), example (dṛṣtānta), established tenet (siddhanta), syallogism (avayava), confutation (tarka), ascertainment (nirnaya), discussion (vāda), controversy (jalpa), cavil (vitaṇḍa), fallacy (hetvābhāsa), equivocation (cala), futility (jati) and disagreement (nigrahastāna). Nyāya divides the experiences into certain classes of substances (dravyas). These are nine in number. Earth, water, fire, air, ether, time, space, self and manas.

Kaṇāda, the author of Vaiśeṣika Sūtra, is the founder of the Vaiśeṣika school of thought. The Vaiśeṣika is derived from the word ‘viśeṣa’, which indicates the category of particularity. The systems of Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika are closely allied systems. So it is to be considered as a unit. The Vaiśeṣika system is metaphysically a pluralistic and a realistic system. This system is known for its scientific approach to the problem of reality and its knowledge. Padārtadarmasaṃgraha written by Praśastapāda is the available and main commentary of this system.

Being the orthodox philosophical schools of India, the Nyāya and the Vaiśeṣika, are independent in their origins but they are closely allied. These two systems clearly prove the idea of manas.

Guatama and Kaṇāda are the founders of these systems. The Nyāya and the Vaiśeṣika can be considered similar since the concept of mind in both seems almost identical. While the Nyāya philosophy deliberates the concept of mind in the epistemological aspect, the Vaiśeṣika in the ontological aspect. In the Upaniṣads manas cannot be considered as soul or Atman. This idea is strengthened by Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika systems of philosophy in their logical arguments.

According to this philosophy, manas is one of the nine dravyas or substances, mentioned above.

It is designated as the sixth sense, over the five senses:

pṛthivyaptejovāyavākāśākāladigātma manāṃsinavaivadravyāṇi || ^[1]

Twenty four qualities are postulated in these dravyas; the most important of them are:—odour, taste, colour, touch, sound, knowledge, love, hate, pleasure, pain, volition, dharma, adharma etc:

rūparasagandhasparśasaṃkhyāparimāṇa pṛthaktvasaṃyogavibhāgaparatvāparatvagurutva dravyatvasneha śabda buddhi sukhaduḥkhecchadveṣa prayatnadharmādharma saṃskāraścaturviṃśatiguṇāḥ || ^[2]

The idea of manas in Nyāya philosophy is treated as body, sense organs, buddhi, manas, Atman which are differently recognised:

manaḥ—sukhādyupalabdhisādhanamindriyaṃ manaḥ |^[3]

arthāt upalabdhirnāma sākṣātkāraḥ, tathā ca sukhaduḥkhādisākṣātkārakārakāraṇatve sati indriyatvaṃ manaso lakṣaṇam | ātmanaḥ saṃyogadivāraṇāyendriyamiti | cakṣurādivāraṇāya sukheti || ^[4]

Knowledge is the character of Atman. Sense organs are the instruments of these. Here mind is the main factor of the activity.

Mind is differentiated from the Atman, because they cannot active in more things one at the same time:

yugapajñānānutpattiḥ manasoliṅgam || ^[5]

All the material substances, the sense organs and manas are under the control of something else i.e., soul or empirical self. Therefore, consciousness also belongs to soul and not to manas or body. According to Nyāya–Vaiśeṣika, when the manas is active, there is perception and when it is non-active, there is no perception. Through the self, the sense organs and external organs there can be perception of the external object in the absence of active manas. The mind is the most important link between the senses and the Atman. It is the internal organ through which the self recollects, infers, doubts and dreams. The presence of mind is stated in the words are svpna, doubt and feelings. Manas and Atman has been differentiated by qualities. Parimāṇaṃ, pradhaktvaṃ, saṃyogaṃ, vibhāgaṃ, paratvaṃ etc are the qualities of manas; and buddhi, sukhaṃ, dukhaṃ, iccha, dveṣaṃ, prayatnaṃ, dharma, adharma, pravṛtti etc are the qualities of the Atman.

Manas is the intermediator of the Atman and the internal organs. It says-

prāṇāpānanimeṣonmeṣa jīvana manogatīndriyāntaravikārāḥ sukhadukhecchādveṣa prayatnāścātmanoliṅgāni || ^[6]

According to Sukla J P,

“The Manas or Mind is atomic in nature, and therefore, cognitions, volition, and other perceptible qualities of the self are always successive”.^[7]

The concept of mind in the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika is immaterial, the atomic, part less and eternal.

The functions of manas are enumerated as remembrance, inference, verbal cognition, doubt, initiation, dream, imagination, the perception of pleasure and pain, desire and rest.

“Manas in the Vaiśeṣika system of philosophy considered as the ninth substance. It is of atomic size. It initiates the production of pleasure, pain and other cognitions.^[8]

Mind is considered as the internal sense organ in this system.

According to Nyāya, there are four means of knowledge, namely, perception (prathykṣa), inference (anumāna), comparison (upamāna) and testimony (śabda). It is the most fundamental source of knowledge. The processes of perception are related to the objects, the external medium, and the sense organ, and the mind helps the organs to function as the Self or Atman. If there do not take place the perception fails.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Tarkasaṃgraha of Annaṃbhatta;-2

[2]:

Ibid -3

[3]:

Tarkasaṃgraha of Annṃbhatta, Acharya Kedaranath Tripati-P-11

[4]:

Nyayabodhinivyakhya of Tarkasaṃgraha - P-11

[5]:

Nyayadarśanaṃ -1.1.16

[6]:

Nyāyabhāṣyaṃ-III.2.58

[7]:

Shukla J.P.–The Nature of Mind–P-203

[8]:

Nyayalilavati of Vallabha., Chowkhambha edition. P-328