Jain Journal 1988 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 35

JAIN JOURNAL
the Nyaya-Vaisesika, viz. rūpa (colour), rasa (taste), gandha (smell) and sparśa (touch) are paramānus (atoms) of the Buddhists, 35 i.e., the atoms of quality. Drayyaparamāņu (material atom) of the Nyaya-Vaisesika corresponds to samghāta-paramānu36 of the Buddhists, which is divisible by intellect. It can be compared with pañcikarana (combination) of the three gunas (qualities) of the prakti of the Samkhya philosophy.37 Samghāta-paramāņu of the Buddhists is avinirbhāgin or abhāga (indistinguishable) from the point of view of vyavahāra (or phenomenal standpoint), while paramānu of the Jainas is anantabhāga (infiniteth part) of paramāņu of the Nyaya-Vaisesika.39 The doctrine of permanence had to be refuted by the Buddhists, so their concept of paramānu is that it is divisible by intellect. The Jaina atomic theory comes nearer to the Buddhist concept of atom 40 from the modal point of view, for, according to Jaina metaphysics, paramānu is non-eternal from the mode point of view. It is of one class41 like the energy of matter of the physical sciences. By convention it may be compared with the anu of the Buddhists which is conventionally called atom (anu) or paramānu as there are stated to be earth-atom, water-atom, air-atom, etc. But they are the forces in the Buddhist convention. Rūpa (colour), rasa (taste), gandha (smell) and sparsa (touch) of pudgala (matter) of the Jainas compare well with the Buddhists' 'gunas-dharmas' (qualitieselements) like rūpa (colour), rasa (taste), etc., i.e., atom of colour, atom of taste, etc.
Paramānu of the Nyaya-Vaisesika 42 is the pūrvaparyāya (previous state or mode) of its own category and also the vijatiya-sahakārinimitta-kārana (assisting instrumental cause of different kind). Paramāņu
35 Abhidharma-kosa by Vasubandhu, kosa I, sutra 10A, 250 C.D. 65 A.D. 36 Ibid., kosa II, sloka 22, p. 29; kosa 1, sloka 12C; kosa 1, sloka 10A. paramanu
(nu) samghata (7) ityartha taevastau caksurvijnanadhatvadaye (hitva sesa dasa)
samcita 1-Abhidharma-dipa, p. 25. 37 Samkhya-tattva-kaumudi by Vacaspati Misra, ed. by Ramesh Chandra Tarkatirtha,
Calcutta Sanskrit Series, published by Metropolitan Printing and Publishing House Ltd., Calcutta, 1935, Karika 16, p. 62; Samkhya-karika by Isvarakrsna, published by Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series office, Varanasi, Haridas Granthamala 120, p. 17; see also Samkhya-pravacana-bhasya of Vijnanabhiksu, ch. III, sutras 11, 12 ; ch.
III, sutra 19; vide The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus, p. 53. 38 Abhidharma-kosa by Vasubandhu, kosa II, sloka 22, p. 29. 39 Nyaya-vartika of Uddyotakara, p. 647. 4 Bhagavati-vyakhya-prajnapti, sataka 14, uddesaka 4, sutra 511. 41 Tattvarthadhigama-sutra by Umasvati, prathama vibhaga, p. 324. 42 Vaisesika-darsana by Kanada, adhyaya IV, ahnika, 1, sutra 3 ; Nyaya-kandali by
Sridhara, published together with Prasastapada-bhasyam by Gangadhara Jha Granthamala Samiti, ed. by Sri Durgadhara Jha, Varanasi, 1885 (Saka), pp. 78-80.