Nyaya-Vaisheshika categories (Study)
by Diptimani Goswami | 2014 | 61,072 words
This page relates ‘Divisions of Quality’ of the study on the Nyaya-Vaisheshika categories with special reference to the Tarkasangraha by Annambhatta. Both Nyaya and Vaisesika are schools of ancient Indian Philosophy, and accepted in their system various padarthas or objects of valid knowledge. This study investigates how the Tarkasamgraha reflects these categories in the combined Nyayavaisesika school.
Divisions of Quality
There are different opinions on the divisions of guṇa (quality).
Kaṇāda mentions seventeen guṇas viz.,
- rūpa (colour),
- rasa (taste),
- gandha (smell),
- sparśa (touch),
- saṃkhyā (number),
- parimāṇa (size),
- pṛthaktva (individuality),
- saṃyoga (conjunction),
- vibhāga (disjunction),
- paratva (priority),
- aparatva (posteriority),
- buddhi (knowledge),
- sukha (pleasure),
- duḥkha (pain),
- icchā (desire),
- dveṣa (aversion) and
- prayatna (effort).[1]
Praśastapāda adds seven more guṇas to these seventeen, [which are]:
- gurutva (heaviness),
- dravatva (fluidity),
- sneha (viscidity),
- dharma (merit),
- adharma (demerit),
- śabda (sound) and
- saṃskāra (tendency).[2]
All the modern works on Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika accepts twenty four guṇas.
Some philosophers add some more guṇas to the above mentioned twentyfour guṇas which are laghutva, mṛdutva, kaṭhinatva.[3] Annaṃbhaṭṭa argues that it is not possible to consider these as separate qualities. Because laghutva, is the negation of gurutva, while, mṛdutva and kaṭhinatva are different degrees of conjunction of the parts.[4] So, there are only twenty-four qualities. Athalye and Bodas here point out that if twenty-four qualities are only accepted and laghutva etc. are rejected as separate qualities being the opposite of gurutva etc. then dharma and adharma should not be mentioned separately in the list of qualities as adharma is the opposite of dharma. It is then clarified that according to the Naiyāyikas, adharma is something positive and not the opposite of dharma. Adharma is demerit and not the absence of merit. Similarly, remark Athalye and Bodas, there are three other pairs of contrary guṇas, viz., saṃyoga-vibhāga, paratva-aparatva and sukha-duḥkha. But these are also not contradictory pairs, but contrary. Disjunction is not the opposite of conjunction, it is a positive quality; aparatva is not opposite of paratva and pain is not opposite of pleasure. All these are positive qualities, not negative one. Therefore, these qualities should be distinctly mentioned.[5]
All modern Nyāya-Vaiśeṣikas, such as Viśvanātha[6], Keśava Miśra[7], Śivāditya[8] and others accept the twenty-four qualities.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
rūparasagandhasparśāḥ saṃkhyāḥ parimāṇāmi pṛthaktvaṃ saṃyoga-vibhāgou paratvāparatve vuddhayaḥ sukhaduḥkhe icchādveṣou prayatnāśca guṇāḥ. Vaiśeṣikasūtra, 1.1.16
[2]:
Vaiśeṣikadarśanam with Praśastapādabhāṣya, p.60
[3]:
laghutvakaṭhinatvamṛdutvādīnāṃ vidyamānatvāt kathaṃ caturviṃśatiguṇā iti. Dīpikā on Tarkasaṃgraha, p.
[4]:
laghutvasya gurutvābhāvarūpatvānmṛdutvakaṭhinatvayoḥ avayavasaṃyogaviśeṣatvāt. Ibid
[5]:
Ibid., p.84
[6]:
Bhāṣāpariccheda, p. 8
[7]:
Tarkabhāṣā, p. 378
[8]:
Saptapadārthī, p.16