Reality of Relation

Relation has an essential role in the systems of Indian philosophy. Amongst the systems, Navya-Nyāya system gives the most importance to relation. The Naiyāyikas, the Vaiśeṣikas, the Bhāṭṭas and the Prābhākaras are the realist philosophers who accept the real existence of relation. These philosophers opine that without the reality of relation, it is not possible to gain knowledge. Relation has the main role in the process of the generation of knowledge. The conception of the pramāṇas like pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna śabda, arthāpatti and anupalabdhi require the understanding the concept of relation.^[1]

The Nyāya-Vaiśeṣikas being realist uphold the separate existences of all things which are knowable and nameable. Hence, the concept of relation is of utmost importance to maintain the relation between the substrates (dharmī) and properties (dharma) which are entirety different entities. Of the seven categories accepted by the Vaiśeṣikas the sixth category i.e., samavāya is a relation. Some of the qualities are also relational viz., conjunction, disjunction, number and separateness. Later on the NyāyaVaiśeṣikas developed the notion that anything can function as a relation by combining itself to another thing. “In Navya-Nyāya further useful technical terminology was developed to handle relations, as their awareness of the importance of relations for their system increased.”^[2]

In the Nyāya system, the conception of relation is related to the Nyāya theory of anyonyābhāva. According to them, relation is fully external. The western philosophers opine that the relations of the things are external as well as internal. The internal relations are created in the nature of things. In Indian philosophy, the Sāṃkhya, Bhāṭṭas and Advaita Vedāntins state that tādātmya relation is an internal relation. According to some point of view, relation cannot make into one unit but it is accepted as a relation.^[3]

In the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika system, all relations are external. The Naiyāyikas have used tādātmya, as a relation, but as an external relation. Naiyāyikas opine that, it cannot be gained from the nature of a thing. It is seen that a dharma is complete different from a dharmin, an avayavin (a composite whole) is complete separate from its avayavas (component parts), jāti is totally distinct from vyakti.

In all these cases, there must be some relation to account for their existence in the same locus.^[4]

“Relation according to Alexander is the vaguest word in the philosophical vocabulary. It is used as a symbol indicating a connection and is generally left undefined.”^[5]

Relation is known as contact (sannikarṣaḥ). It is the cause of the notion of qualifier and qualificand in different things.^[6] Jagadīśa Tarkālaṃkāra maintains that a relation is the object (viṣaya) of the knowledge of being qualified (viśiṣṭa) as distinct from the qualifierness (viśeṣaṇatā) and qualificandness (viśeṣyatā)^[7]. Rūpavān ghaṭaḥ is the qualified knowledge. There are three objects in this. The one object is ghaṭa as substantive another is rūpa (colour) as attribute and the third object is samavāya (relation) between ghaṭa and rūpa. There is viṣayatā (objectness) in these objects. The viṣayatā which remains in the ghaṭa is in the form of substantiveness, the viṣayatā which remains in rūpa is in the form of attributiveness. The viṣayatā which remains in samavāya is in the form of saṃsarga that is known as relation.^[8]

According to some Navya-Naiyāyikas, that is known as relation which is the determining faction of a qualified knowledge (viśiṣṭadhī).^[9]

In the Navya-Nyāya, relation is discussed in detail relation occupied a very important place in the Navya-Nyāya. Dinesh Chandra Guha also underlines the importance of relation in Navya-Nyāya Logic thus “The edifice of Navya-Nyāya rests to a great extent on the conception of ‘sambandha’ or relation. Indeed the conception of relation is so interesting and all-pervasive that on account of its application the Navya-Nyāya can safely be called Relational Logic even in the most modern sense of the term. Anything which has been done so with the help of relations.”^[10] Moreover, Navya-Naiyāyikas are called sambandhi. All subject-matters of the Navya-Nyāya system clarified with the help of the concept relation.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

cf. Relation in Indian Philosophy, p.69

[2]:

Potter, Karl H., Indian Philosophy, p. 80

[3]:

A Primer of Indian Logic, pp. 49-50

[4]:

cf. Ibid., pp. 50-51

[5]:

Vide, Relation in Indian Philosophy, p.11

[6]:

sambandhaḥ sannikarṣaḥ sa ca vibhinnayovastunorviśeṣaṇaviśeṣya-bhāvaprayojakaḥ. Navya-Nyāyabhāṣāpradīpaḥ, p.9

[7]:

viśeṣyaviśeṣantvānyaviśiṣṭadhīviṣayatvaṃ eva sambandhatvamiti bhāvah. Siddhāntalakṣana Jāgadiśī, p. 252

[8]:

cf. Relation in Indian Philosophy, p.80

[9]:

viśiṣṭadhīniyāmakasyaiva tathātvāt. Siddhāntalakṣana Jāgadiśī, p. 252

[10]:

Navya-Nyāya System of Logic, p.56