Types of Sāmānya

[Full title: The concept of Sāmānya (3): Types of Sāmānya]

Praśastapāda divides sāmānya into two types, viz.,

1. para (superior) and
2. apara (inferior).^[1]

This division is accepted by the later exponents of the school. Udayana states that para covers a wider area, while apara covers a narrower area.

Following Praśastapāda, Viśvanātha^[2], Śivāditya^[3], Keśava Miśra^[4], Annaṃbhaṭṭa^35’and others divide sāmānya into two kinds,

1. superior and
2. inferior.

The example of parasāmānya is sattā or being. It is superior because it covers a wider area than all other universals. It subsists in all the three padārthas, viz., dravya, guṇa and karma. It is a generality only.^[5] Dravyatva, gunatva, karmatva etc. which subsist in dravya, guṇa and karma respectively are aparasāmānyas. “They are lower generalities. They are generalities (sāmānya), because they assimilate their proper individuals to one another. They are lower generalities (viśeṣa), because they discriminate their proper individuals from other kinds of individuals. They are the causes of assimilation and discrimination both.”^[6]

In this way though the Vaiśeṣikas pronounce sāmānya as of two types, actually however, these are three types of sāmānya. This is clarified by Viśvanātha, Śivāditya and others. Viśvanātha at first mentions two universals, higher and lower. But at next step he mentions that there are some sāmānyas which are both higher and lower (parāpara)^[7]

Śivāditya, again, maintains that there are three types of sāmānya viz.,

1. para,
2. apara and
3. parāpara.

Sattā is the highest sāmānya. Dravyatva etc. are parāpara sāmānya. Dravyatva is inferior in comparison to sattā, but is higher in comparison to pṛthivītva (the genus of earth). So it is parāpara. Similarly all universals which are extensive in comparison to some universals and pervaded by some other universals are parāpara sāmānyas. Ghaṭatva etc. are apara sāmānya, since there are inferior to dravyatva, pṛthivītva etc. but are not superior to any sāmānya.^[8]

Annaṃbhaṭṭa has accepted only two kinds of sāmānya–

1. para and
2. apara.

In his view sattā is superior. All other sāmānyas like dravyatva etc. are inferior.^[9] He has not mentioned about parāpara variety of sāmānya.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vaiśeṣikadarśanam with Praśastapādabhāṣya, p.276

[2]:

Bhāṣāpariccheda, p. 12

[3]:

Saptapadārthī, p.16

[4]:

Tarkabhāṣā, p.494

[5]:

Kiraṇāvalī, p.22

[6]:

Sinha Jadunath, Indian Philosophy, Vol.I, p.354

[7]:

Bhāṣāpariccheda, p. 12

[8]:

Nyāyasiddhāntamuktāvalī, p.44

[9]:

paraṃ sattā -aparaṃ dravyatvādi. Tarkasaṃgraha, p.60