Chapter 28.6 - Introduction to the Vaisesika school of Philosophy

[Full title: The Six Systems—Orthodox philosophy (5): Vaisesika]

As it is with Samkhya and Yoga so it is with Nyaya and Vaisesika. Both are very similar to each other. The main aim of Vaisheshika is to explain the external world while that of Nyaya is to do the same in the case of the inner one. Comparatively Vaisesika is older than Nyaya. The originator of this philosophy is sage Kanada. Some people term his system as Aulukya because according to them the original name of Kanada was Uluka. He came to be called Kanada because for his food he subsisted on only a few grains, kana+ada (ad 'to eat'). It is also possible that Aulukya formed from Uluka is a term of derision used by the Advaitins against Kanada who, according to them, could not see the unity in diversity like an owl the sun, and who proceeded from unity to diversity and postulated salvation from the knowledge of the six categories, Padarthas. Such jibes were common among opponents in ancient times. The main theory of this system is that the atoms, Paramanus, are eternal and it is through them that the world comes into being. The Vaisesika accepts six categories-substance, quality, action, generality, particularity (visesa, whence the name of the system is derived) and inseparable relation; dravya, guna, karma, samanya, visesa, samavaya. To these six the non-existence/ nullity/negation, abhava which is defined as bhavabhinna, bhavabhinno 'bhavah, other than positive, was added later. Substance in Vaisheshika is that category which though being the base of its qualities and actions is different from them

like the thread which is the base of cloth but is different from it. It has nine forms: earth, water, wind fire, ether, time, space, self and mind, prthivyaptejovayvakasadikkalatmamanamsi. Of these the first five are called the great elements, Mahabhutas, each of which has its special quality or property which is cognized through sense organs. The property of the earth is smell which is cognized through the organ of smell, nose; the property of water is taste which is cognized through tongue; the property of wind is touch which is cognized through skin; the property of fire is colour which is cognized through eyes; the property of ether is sound which is cognized through ears. According to Vaisesika the sense organ through which the Dravya is cognized, is created through that Dravya. The smell being the property of earth the organ with which it is cognized, i.e., nose is created through the atoms of earth and so on. According to Kanada out of the five great elements the first four when in the form of causes are eternal, nitya but when in the form of effect are not so, anitya. Ether, akasa differs from the other great elements. The property of ether is sound, sabda which is not visible, pratyaksa. It has to be inferred through sound. Since every property is to have some base, adhara, so property like sound also has to have some base and that base is inferred to be ether. Time and place are also not objects of direct perception. They also have to be inferred. Here, there, far, near, this side, that side, today, tomorrow, the day before-with these words are these inferred. Atman is eternal and all-pervasive. It is of two kinds, Jivatman and Paramatman or Isvara. Jivatman, individual self resides in body. It turns into Jiva when embodied. As soon as it is embodied consciousness activates the body. Jivatman is not one but many. In this form Vaisesika accepts the principle of manyness, anekavada.cMind, the ninth Dravya experiences

happiness, sorrow, compassion, hatred etc. It is an internal sense organ. It also is eternal. Among the seven categories quality, Guna is the second. It is of twenty-four types: form or colour (white, green), rupa; taste (sour, sweet), rasa; smell (good or bad), gandha; touch (hot or cold), sparsa; sound, sabda; contact, samyoga; separation, vibhaga; separateness, prthaktva; measure, parimana; distance, paratva; proximity, aparatva; heaviness, gurutva; effort, prayatna; pleasure, sukha; pain, duhkha; will, iccha; liquidity, dravatva; unctuousness, lubricity, sneha; virtue, dharma; vice, adharma; impressions of previous births, samskaras; antipathy, dvesa; number, samkhya; intellect. buddhi. The active characteristic of Dravya is Karman. Quality, Guna is inactive form of Dravya, Karman is its active form. It is of five types: utksepana, to throw up, avaksepana, to throw down, akuncana, contraction, prasarana, stretching/spreading. Samanya, generality is that category through which different individuals are assigned the same species like men and women all different from each other are assigned one species of human beings. Visesa, particularity makes the inviduals of the same species look different from each other. As said earlier, Kanada does not include Abhava, negation, the absence, among the categories but his successor Prasastapada does. Though not visible, its existence cannot be doubted like absence of the sun in the night. It is as real as the presence of the moon and stars in the night. The existence of absence, Abhava is in no way less than the existence of Bhava. This also, therefore, came to be accepted as one of the categories, the seventh one at that. According to Kanada a person experiences sorrow because of ignorance the release from which is possible through selfupliftment, atmotthana, the first step towards righteousness the means for prosperity, abhyudaya, and spiritual bliss, nihsreyasa yato hy abhyudayanihsreyasasiddhih sa dharmah]. The Prof Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, New Delhi Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

realization of Atman is possible only when there is knowledge of things other than Atman. It is only after the knowledge of the similarity and the dissimilkarity of Atman and things other than that the emancipation is possible which is the final aim of life. In that state Atman gets free from all attributes/qualities and gets into its pure, changeless form. The date of the Vaisesika-sutra is uncertain. Generally it is assigned to the period after 300 A.D. It is divided in ten parts. The Padarthadharmasangraha by Prasastapada, though a Bhasya on it, has more the character of an original text than a mere gloss. On this Bhasya of Prasastapada four scholars wrote commentaries: Vyomavati of Vyomapada, other names Vyomasekhara and Sivaditya (of 9 th cen. possibly), Nyayakandali of Sridhara (the last part of the 10 th cen. A.D.), Kiranavali and Laksanavali of Udayana (the last part of the 10 th cen. A.D.) Nyayalilavati of Srivatsa, other name Vallabha (possibly the last part of the 10 th and the beginning of the 11 th cen. A.D.). Tarkakaumudi of Laugaksibhaskara is a beautiful work on Prasastapada's text. Sankaramisra of the second part of the 15 th cen. A.D. wrote a commentary Upaskara on the Vaisesikasutra. The Vrtti of Jayanarayana of the 17 th cen.A.D. is also an important work of the Vaisheshika School. In the literature on philosophy there are some works which deal with the doctrines of both Nyaya and Vaisesika. Such works are Sivaditya's Saptapadarthi (11 th cen.A.D.), Varadaraja's Tarkikaraksa, Kesavamisra's Tarkabhasa (13 th or 14 th cen. A.D.), Annambhatta's Tarkasangraha with the auto-commentary Dipika (16 th or 17 th cen. A.D.), the Tarkamrta (1635 A.D.) of Jagadisa and Visvanatha Nyayapancanana's Karikavali Bhasapariccheda with the auto-commentary Siddhantamuktavali.