________________ 90 Introduction the Samkhya. The atomic theory of the Vaiseshika too played a great part in formulating the Vaibhashika theory of the dravya and samghata paramanus. The seven categories of the Vaiseshika greatly influenced the Vaibhashika analysis of the nama-rapa and even their theory of dharma. On account of their fundamental thesis of anatmavada (non-substantialism), the Buddhists did not recognise the Vaiseshika distinction of padarthas as dravja (substance), guna (quality), karma (action), etc., but reduced all things to the status of dharmas, i. e. unique, momentary ultimate elements. It is, therefore, not surprising to find that the term dravya is conspicuous by its absence from the Pali suttas and even from the Abhidhamma. In the Vaibhashika school, however, it almost replaces the Buddhist term dharma. Here all real dharmas are called dravya. Of the nine dravyas of the Vaiseshika, only five, viz., substances of earth, water, fire, air and mind have their corresponding dharmas in the Theravada Buddhism. The akasa was recognised by them only as a kind of matter (akasadhatu = parichcheda-rupa), and not as a mahabhata. In the Vaibhashika school the four mahabhutas came to be regarded as dravya-paramanus, as indivisible as the atoms of the Vaibhashika. The akasa-dhatu of the Theravada was raised here to the status of an asamskrita dharma, and made a nitya-dravya as in the Vaiseshika school. Of the remaining three dravyas of the Vaiseshika, viz., kala, dik and atman, the first two were recognised by the Yogacharas as prajnapti-dharmas. Thus with the sole exception of the atman, all the Vaiseshika dravyas came to be recognised in the later Abhidharmika schools. As in the case of the term dravya (substance), the term guna (quality) also is not found (in its technical sense)? in the Theravada canon. But one can detect an influence of the Vaiseshika theory of guna and dravya in their enumeration of the derived matter (upadaya rupa). 1 The word guna occurs in the Pali Scriptures only in the sense of a string, a cord or a strand (as in the case of pancha ka maguna). It is sometimes used to mean a virtue but never in its technical sense of a quality as in the Vaiseshika or the Jaina schools
