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The Nyava-Vaiseșika View Regarding God
ous elements while others posit a single conscious element. Among these, those who posit a multiplicity of non-conscious as well as conscious elements have conceived God in the form of a beginningless and endless indepen. dent element different from both the conscious and non-conscious elements. In this connection an exception is constituted by Jainism, Buddhism and a particular type of Sānkhya. On the other hand, those who posit one single element have given consideration to the element God as to the element soul deriving them both from this one single element. Let this point be subjected to a special elucidation.
It seems that the doctrine positing an independent element God is very old and so is also well-rooted among the common people. And the position whose roots reach deep down among people impels the philosoph. ers and thinkers too to undertake a consideration of the same. Hence it is possible that the philosophers have given cosideration to the conception of God since very long.
The Maheśvara View Regarding God
Among the remnants of the Indus Valley Civilization there have been discovered symbols pertaining to soine sect like Pāśu patal, and even today Maheśvara, Siva and Rudra are much current in the form of the names of God. From the available description of the four types of Māheśvaras and the literature left behind by them this much is certain that the Mābeśvaras posited Maheśvara under so ne name or other and in some form or other. All of them also posit a multiplicity of non-concious elements and a multiplicity of souls. Among them, many are such as posit God in the form of the cause of the world and yet conceive Him to be independent of the acts preformed by souls and hence an absoloutely independent such cause, while others are such as do not conceive Him to be an absolutely independent cause but a creator dependent on the acts performed by souls. Thus there are two main lines-of-thinking prevalent among the Māheśvarasa.
The Nyava-Vaiseșika View Regarding God
The Nyāya-Vaiseșika tradition too posits a multiplicity of conscious and
1 On this question particularly noteworthy are the pages 5 to 10 of the presidential
address delivered by Shri T. N. Ramachandran at the Agra session of the Indian History Congress, Nanu mabad etad indrajālam yan nirapeksah parameśvarah kāranam iti. Tathătve karmavaiphalyam sarvakāryāņām samasamayasamutpädaś ceti doşadvayam prāduhạy
-Nakulīšapāśupatadarśana in Sarvadarśanasangraha. Tam imam parameśvaraḥ karmädinirapeksaḥ kāraṇam iti pakşam vaişamya-nairghệnya dosaduşitatyāt pratikşipantah kecana mähesvarāḥ śaivāgamasiddhäntatattvam yathavad iksamānāḥ karmädisāpekşah para mesvarah kāranam iti pakşam kaksikurvāpāḥ paksantaram upakşipanti. -Saivadarsana in Sarvadarsanasangraha p. 66.
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