Qualities (4): Sparśa (Touch)

Sparśa Is the fourth guṇa. It is a special guṇa. It can be apprehended through the organ of skin. Praśastapāda gives the definition of sparśa as sparśa is perceived by skin.^[1] Śivāditya states that touch is that quality which is apprehended by skin only and which possesses the generic attribute sparśatva.^[2] Viśvanātha also gives the similar definition of touch that sparśa is perceived by the sense of touch.^[3]

Annaṃbhaṭṭa gives similar definition. He says:

tvagindriyamātragrāhyo guṇah sparśaḥ.^[4]

In this definition the word mātra is necessary to avoid saṃyoga, saṃkhyā etc. because these qualities are perceived by the sense of touch and by the eye also. The word guṇa is added in this definition to exclude the jāti sparśatva.^[5]

Sparśa is threefold–

1. cool,
2. hot and
3. tepid.

It subsists in earth, water, light and air. Of them cool touch resides in water, hot touch in light, tepid touch in earth and air.^[6] When this quality is in the earth, it is produced and it is non-eternal. But when this quality is in water, light and air etc., it is not produced by heat, it is natural. Sparśaḥ becomes eternal things and it becomes non-eternal when it is found in noneternal things.^[7] This sparśaguṇa is mūrtaguṇa and it resides in one substance, therefore, it is known as ekadravyavṛtti.^[8] Moreover it is ekendriyagrāhya because it is apprehended by the one external sense only.^[9]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

sparśa tvagindriyagrāhya. Vaiśeṣikadarśanam with Praśastapādabhāṣya, p. 70

[2]:

sparśatvajātiyogi sparśanamātragrāhyo guṇo sparśaḥ. Saptapadārthi, p.70

[3]:

sparśaḥ tvagindriyagrāhyo. Bhāṣāpariccheda, p.190

[4]:

Tarkasaṃgraha, p. 16

[5]:

Ibid., p.155

[6]:

Ibid., p.16

[7]:

Ibid., p.18

[8]:

Sinha, Jadunath, Indian Philosophy, Vol.I, pp. 433-434

[9]:

Tarkasaṃgraha, p. 87