God in Vaisesika System

In the Vaisesika-Sutra of Kanada, God is not openly referred to. His famous aphorism which is repeated twice by him has no reference to God. The Sutra *Tud Vacanadama. nayosya Pramanyam' (Being His words, the validity of the 5 Vedas) has been held by some scholars to mean that the Vedas are the works of the seers, and that the Sutre has 1. Brehma Sutra, Ramanuja-Bhasya, 1.1.3. 2. Ibid., 2.1.12. 3. Brahma Sutra, Madhava Bhanya, 3.2.23. 4. Thide, 3.3.1. Ibid. 5. Visesika Sutra, 1.1.3; X.2.9. 6. Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy, Vol. II, Page 226.

398 1 2 3 no reference to God. Feddegon is also of the same view. He says "The Vaisesika-Sutras expose at length the essential concepts of the soul theory as we find it later in developed Nyaya Vaisesika (esp. V.S.,3.2.4). But no where is a highest soul mentioned, no where is Isvara named and no passage directly refers to Him." Efforts have been made to interpret some of the Vaisesika sutras to show that the Vaise ikas also, like other orthodox schools were originally theistic in nature. But the interpretations are very doubtful. On can easily interpret these two sutres and see that Kanada did not mean to include Isvara in his Sutres. And it is, perhaps, one of the reasons why the Vaisesikas have been called half-atheists (ardha vainasike) by the latter orthodox writers. But all the great writers on the Vaisesika Sutra are openly theistic and some of them, e.g., Udayana give classical arguments to prove the existence of God. We cannot, therefore, treat the founder of the Vaisesika system as on atheist. Moreover, Kanada believes in spiritualism and makes the physical universe subservient to the mrel order. Prasastapada opens his commentary by paying homage to 1. Faddegon, The Vaisesika System, Page 309. 2. As for exemple Sanker Misra in his 'Upaskara' gees a relevance to God in the third sutra. 3. Vaidesika Sutra, 1.1.3, II, 1.18.

399 1 Isvara, the cause of the world. He then goes on to say that the knowledge of the six categories is the cause of liberation; this knowledge itself, however, results from dharma which is prescribed by Isvara. In the last sloka of the book he mentions Mehesvara, whom Kanada is said to have pleased. Prasastapada describes how the world is created and destroyed by the desire of Isvara. In the 2 3 description of creation, he says that the great Egg (mahadan dam) is said to be brought into existence by the mere thought of the Supreme Lord. Further, when treating of the quality dimension (parimana), Prasastapada explains that largeness (mahatva) and length (dirghatva) are produced in the molecules by plurality (bahutva sankhya), just as minuteness (anutva) and shortness (hravatve) in the binary atoms is produced by duality (dvitvasamkhya). But this duality and this plurality depend for their existence on the knowledge of Isvara. Thus the author of Bhasya accepts the existence of God without attempting to prove it. Theism is not treated as an integral part of his philosophical system. Prof. Keith suggests that early discussions between Kanada and Prasastapada resulted in the assumption of a creator, to explain the periodic cosmic process● 1. Prasastapada Bhasya, Page 20. 2. Ibid., Poge 329. 3. Ibid., Pages 43-49. 4. A❤B.Keith, Indian Logic and Atomism, Page 265.

400 The next Vaisesike authors made further progress towards philosophical theisme Vyomasiva and Fridhara (I will consider Udayana with the authors of Nyaya) devote several pages to the proof of the existence of God and to a description of His nature. They do this, not in connection with the soul-theory, but when commenting on Prasestepada's exposition of the process of creations sivaditya mentions Isvara only once; but he does so when dealing with the substance soul: 'The soul is of two kinds: supreme and individual. The Supreme Soul is Isvara and only one.' From the above exposition it is clear how theism was only gradually incorporated into vaisesika, which originally ignored Isvara altogether.