History of Indian Philosophy

SR No.: 007593
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Surendranath Dasgupta
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication Year: 1922
Total Pages: 2517
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 125 MB

Page 1450

xx] Ontological categories according to Verkațanātha 261 envelops the sabda-tanmātra. The sparśa-tanmātra, as enveloped by the sabda-tanmätra, produces the vāyu through the accessory help of ākāśa. Then from this sparsa-tanmātra the rūpa-tanmātra is produced. The rūpa-tanmātra in its turn envelops the sparsa-tanmätra and then from the rūpa-tanmātra, as enveloped by the sparsatanmātra, tejas is produced through the accessory help of vāyu. Again the rasa-tanmātra is produced from the rūpa-tanmātra, which again envelops the rasa-tanmātra. From the rasa-tanmātra enveloped by the rūpa-tanmatra water is produced through the accessory help of tejas. From the rasa-tanmātra the gandha-tanmātra is produced which again, enveloped by rasa-tanmātra, produces earth through the accessory help of water
Varavara points out that in the Tattva-nirūpaña another genesis of creation is given which is as follows. Sabda-tan-mātra is produced from bhūtādi and as a gross state of it ākāśa is produced. The bhūtādi envelops the sabda-tanmātra and the ākāša. From the transforming sabda-tan-inātra, through the accessory of the gross ākāśa as enveloped by bhūtādi, the sparśa-tanmātra is produced and from such a sparsa-tanmātra vāyu is produced. The sabda-tan-mātra then envelops both the sparsa-tanmātra and the vāyu, and from the transforming sparsa-tanmātra, through the accessory of vāyu as enveloped by śabda-tanmātra, the rūpa-tanmātra is produced. From the rūpa-tanmātra, similarly, tejas is produced, and so on. In this view, in the production of the sparśa and other tanmātras the accessory help of the previous bhūtas is found necessary.
As Venkațanātha accepts the view that the gross bhūta of ākāśa acts as accessory to the production of the later bhūtas, he criticizes the Samkhya view that the gross bhūtas are produced from the synthesis of tanmātras2. The Samkhyists, again, think that the evolution of the different categories from prakrti is due to an inherent teleology and not to the operation of any separate agent. Verkata, however, as a true follower of Rāmānuja, repudiates it and asserts that the evolving operation of the prakşti can only proceed through the dynamic operation of God Himself.
1 Varavara's bhāsya on Tattvatraya, p. 59.
2 sāmkhyāstu panchā'pi tanmātrāņi sākṣāt-tāmasā-hamkāro-tpannāni tatra śabda-tanmātram ākāśā-rambhakam itarāņi tu tanmātrāņi pūrva-pūrva-tanmātrasahakrtāny uttaro-ttara-bhūtā-rambhakāni'ty āhuḥ tad asat. ākāśād vāyur ity-ādyananyathā-siddho-pādānakrama-višeşā-bhidhāna-darsanāt. Nyāya-siddhāñjana, pp. 25-26.