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ALBRECHT WEZLER
ORIGIN(S) OF THE GUNA-THEORY
547
boldness", who do not shy away from any conclusions") there is even a certain tension, but above all a high degree of persuasiveness, and finally, also on the part of the readers, the aesthetic satisfaction of having solved a rather complicated equation. And the readers are warned that if they do not agree with him they will be classed among those "who are not accustomed to think historically" - although this remark of FRAUWALLNER's most probably only refers to his observation that many of the theories, which can in fact be demonstrated to have been held at this period, are "queer" ("wunderlich"), "odd" ("absonderlich") and "farfetched" ("fernliegend")," i.e. although his remark has ultimately little, if anything at all, to do with his ideas about the process of the creation of the theories. In spite of all this I, as one among his readers, cannot help getting the feeling that what I am in is a kind of cyber-space, a world remarkably similar to reality, but in fact nothing but imaginary, at best intuitive."
Regarding the creation of the idea of the three gunas of primary matter - on which my attention is focussed for obvious reasons - FRAUWALLNER's assumptions are, as already mentioned in part, these: under the influence of "The Instruction of Svetaketu", according to which "all phenomena consist of three ur-elements" and "their different constitution depends on how these elements are mixed with one another and which of them preponderates"." "Pancasikha assumed that primary matter possesses three qualities which are connected with one another in different ways. Now this quality preponderates, now that"; one of the important differences between "The Instruction of Svetaketu" and Pancasikha's theory, i.e. the concept of qualities which replaces that of the ur-elements, is explained by FRAUWALLNER by stating that this difference had not that
importance" for Pancasikha, as the idea of quality as a separate category of being had not yet been developed in his time"." The answer Pancasikha gave to the question of which kind the three qualities are appears strange at first": for he determines them as goodness (sattva), passion (rajas) and darkness (tamas). "But", says FRAUWALLNER, "this answer is intelligible too if we consider the circumstances which brought it into being. 40 And these he sees in the great importance the theory of deliverance had in the "basic form of Samkhya found in the Epic" on the one hand, and, on the other in the philosophical school of Samkhya". "When Pancasikha tried to substantiate the origin of the feelings" - which cause the fettering of the Soul - he fell back, so to say, on the Epic doctrine of the states (bhavah) of cognition, and "he therefore assumed that goodness, passion and darkness dwell in the things of the outer world as qualities. And as they occur in all things and can emerge everywhere, Pancasikha came to see in them the qualities (gunāh) inherent in primary matter (prakrtih)."4!
The problem is indeed neatly resolved, and one feels a bit uneasy if one hesitates to applaud and rather thinks of revealing oneself to be a doubter, nay an unbeliever. One of the many objections I have to make is that FRAUWALLNER in fact gives two entirely different and ultimately alternative explanations for the idea of the three gunas, viz. that it is due to a particular kind of chrësis - to use GNILKA's term of "The Instruction of Svetaketu" and that it developed out of a reflection on the cause of feelings in connection with the older theory of the states of cognition. The
31 "Und er wird die Kühnheit und Konsequenz ihrer Schöpfer bewundern, die vor keinen
Folgerungen zurückscheuten..." (FRAUWALLNER 1953: 302). 32 The metaphor is perhaps not well chosen as FRAUWALLNER's reconstruction does not
seem to include any unknowns. 33 "... besonders für den, der nicht gewohnt ist, historisch zu denken" (FRAUWALLNER
1953: 302) 34 Quoted from FRAUWALLNER 1953: 301. 35 I am aware of the not by any means favourable conditions under which
FRAUWALLNER wrote his Geschichte der indischen Philosophie, and that he was
denied publishing the materials, reflections and deliberations on which it is based 36 Ibidem 305 ; see above n. 6. 37 Ibidem 306, see above n. 6.
38 "Aber dieser Unterschied hatte zu seiner Zeit nicht diese Bedeutung. Der Begriff der
Eigenschaft als eigener Kategorie des Seins war zu seiner Zeit noch nicht entwickelt."
(FRAUWALLNER 1953: 306.). 39 "Die Antwort, die Pancasikha auf diese Frage gibt, erscheint zunächst sonderbar."
(FRAUWALLNER 1953: 307). 40 "Aber auch diese Antwort wird verständlich, wenn wir die Umstände berücksichtigen,
die sie herbeiführten." (FRAUWALLNER 1953: 307) 41 "Als nun Pancasikha das Entstehen der Empfindungen zu begründen suchte und auf
die besprochene Weise dazu geführt wurde, objektive Entsprechungen in der · Aussenwelt dafür anzunehmen, war es für ihn das Gegebene, diese den erwähnien
drei Gruppen von psychischen Zustanden entsprechend anzusetzen. Er nahm also an, dass Gute, Leidenschaft und Finsternis den Dingen der Aussenwelt als Eigenschaften
innewohnen." (FRAUWALLNER 1953: 308). 42 CF. GNILKA 1972, his later works and the series of monographs edited by him under
the title Chrësis