The nature of Body

According to Gautama, the body comes into being because of the function of the stock of actions performed in previous birth. The actions are of two kinds, good and bad actions. Good actions produce merit in the self and the bad action demerit. Merit produces happiness and demerits produce pain. Vātsyāyana the great commentator of Nyāyasūtras, explains, that the previous actions done by the person through the activity of speech, cognition and bodily and the fruits of these actions merits or demerits, the co-ordination with the soul and five gross elements are the cause of the origin of the body. There are three kinds of actions namely vocal, mental and physical. Each can be further divided into two as good and bad. Good actions to be performed vocally include speaking truth, telling what is useful, talking pleasant and reading sacred books had vocal actions of bad nature subsume telling lie, using horse language, slandering and indulging in frivolous talk. Mental actions–good mental actions are compassion, refraining from covetousness, and devotion. Bad mental actions are malice, covetousness, and skepticism. Bodily actions are giving protecting, and serving bad mental actions are killing, steeling and committing adultery the fruits of these actions produced merit and demerit. Merits and demerits seated in the soul. Soul is seated in the body. The bad actions gives bad experience and the good actions give good experiences.

An objection is raised by the Atheists that the formation of the body may be admitted as a statue is formed as stone, clay etc. “Bhūtebhyo mūrthyupādānavat tadupādānam”^[1] body has been made up of elements which are not endowed with the fruits of air previous merits and demerits.

Naiyāyikas replied that the human body is not like a statue, clay etc it is made of atoms which have actually a reference to desert as they comport themselves in such a way as to work out the design of retributive justice. The formation of body is not compared with a clay statue; the origin is to the sperm of father and blood of mother as owes its origin in the shape of seed. “Notpattinimittatvānmātāpitroh”^[2] the other hand statue needs no seed.^[3]

Actions might have been performed over many lives; the consequences of actions performed over many lives would follow the Self which does not perish with body after death. Hence the body that one gets in this life is determined by his deeds. The body is composed of material elements. Sand produced from a sand stone may yet be utilized by a man, because, the world which is composed of material elements may be utilized by a body, which too, is made of matter. Gautama pointed out that the example of sand of the opponent is not relevant in the present case. The body requires the union of the father and the mother. Another reason for the dissimilarity of the opponent example of sand and the body is that the cause of the body required food.

Adṛṣṭa as determining the cause of the body can be proved by the fact that father and mother meet many times the conception of pregnancy does not take place. Pregnancy happens only by Adṛṣṭa. It is not caused accidently, but according to karmaphala and not as desired by father and mother “Śarīrotpattinimittavat samyogotpattinimittam karma.’ Vātsyāyana again explained that this involves three karmas the soul experiencing life in the womb band of the parents enjoying the fruit in the shape of a son. Again food taken by the mother nourishes and develops the embryo till birth through various processes of assimilation. It is clear that the actions of the materials informing and developing the body is dependent upon karma.

The food drink taken by the mother turns into blood which develops the embryo through the various stages of pregnancy eating is a cause of production of our body. It is further explained by the commentator that the body cannot be formed out of substance independently of destiny. The body has so much calculated structure as the arteries through which the bodily formation of the māṃsapeśi other organs and systems, life breath flow, tendon, skin, bones, veins, muscles, embryo, fetus, head, arm, belly, thighs, bite and plegum, permeating the body and the mouth, throat, chest, stomach, intestines and bowels, as the result. We conclude that the body is formed by destiny.^[4] Every union of father and mother does not result in conception. Gautama also holds the view that it is intimate connection of the body with the soul that causes the pleasure and pain enjoyable by the self through the body.

All arguments are gives in the support of aḍrṣṭa karma is the cause of body. If the karma is not the cause of body then the souls could have similar bodies, but we see this system does not prevail “etenāniyamaha pratyuktaha.”¹¹ Some persons are fainted healthy white others are unhealthy. Some are beautiful and others weak and ugly. Some peoples are born to rich family and others to the poor. This inequality in the formation of the body is due to the merit and demerits of their previous lifes.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nyāya Darśana, 3.2.65, P. 271

[2]:

Nyāya Darśana, 3.2.67, p.272

[3]:

nirbīa imāmūrtaya udpadyate bīapūrvikā tu śarīrotpattihi, Nyāya Darśana, p.272

[4]:

Yathā khalvidham śarīram thatuprāṇasamvāhinīnām…. Nyāya Darśana, p.273¹¹ Nyāya Darśana, 3.2.71, p.274