Mimamsa Versus Vaisesika

Author(s): Johannes Bronkhorst
Publisher: Johannes Bronkhorst

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Nyayamanjari of Jayanta Bhatta. Nyayakandali of Sridhara. Nyayaratnakara of Parthasarathi Misra (for the edition see Slokavarttika of Kumarila Bhatta, with the commentary Nyayaratnakara of Parthasarathi Misra. Vyomavati of Vyomasiva. Word Index to the Prasastapadabhasya, see Bronkhorst and Ramseier 1994. BIBLIOGRAPHY tryac ca jarayujandajodbhijjasvedajabhinnam sarirabhedam isvarecchakaritasamyogavisesat paramanava arabhante! For according to us Vaisesikas, unlike the Samkhyas, atoms do not dissolve in the dissolution (of the world). Composite substances (karyadravya), on the other hand, that is to say all dyads and [larger objects), dissolve, their parts having been separated by God's desire; but the atoms, without mutual connection, remain, and so do (the omnipresent substances] such as ether, and the souls, the latter accompanied each by their own dharma and adharma. At the time of a new creation movements arise in the atoms, the cause of which is God's desire as well as the dharma and adharma (adrsta) of the souls; the four kinds of atoms, which by virtue of these (movements) are (now) joined together, form the four elements earth etc., each their own, in the sequence which begins with the dyad. And on account of the variety of dharma and adharma in the souls, which cause (the process), the atoms, because of the special connections brought about by God's desire, form a variety of bodies, viz. born from the womb, born from an egg, sprouting, and born from perspiration. Texts Jayanta Bhatta, Nyayamanjari: 1) edited by K.S. Varadacharya, Oriental Research Institute Series 116, Mysore 1969; 2) edited by Surya Narayana Sukla, Kashi Sanskrit Series 106, Varanasi 1971. Kumarila Bhatta, Slokavarttika with the commentary Nyayaratnakara of Parthasarathi Misra, edited by Dvarikadasa Sastri, Ratnabharati Series 3, Varanasi 1978. Parthasarathi Misra, Sastradipika, edited with the commentary Yuktisnehaprapurani with Gudharthavivarana by Dharmadatta Jha. First Tarkapada, Varanasi 1988. Parthasarathi Misra, Nyayaratnakara, see Kumarila Bhatta, Slokavarttika. Prasastapada, Prasastapadabhasya with the commentary Kiranavali of Udayana, edited by Jitendra S. Jetly, Gaekwad's Oriental Series 154, Baroda 1971. Sridhara, Nyayakandali of Sridhara, edited by J.S. Jetly and Vasant G. Parikh, Vadodara, Gaekwad's Oriental Series 174, Baroda 1991. Vyomasiva, Vyomavati of Vyomasiva, edited by Gaurinath Sastri. M.M. Sivakumarasastri granthamala 6, Varanasi 1983-84. *** Studies We can conclude that Parthasarathi in his Nyayaratnakara (but not yet in his Sastradipika) brings to light a fundamental difference in attitude between Mimamsa and Vaisesika with regard to the mechanism of karmic retribution. The Vaisesikas had come to admit that this mechanism is hard to explain in non-teleological terms, and without assuming a conscious agent in the process. They introduced the notion of a creator God in order to avoid this difficulty. The Mimamsa thinkers were basically confronted with the same problem, but could not accept the Vaisesika solution without fundamentally changing their system. All they could do was ignore the problem, and criticise the notion of a creator God on other grounds. This is what Kumarila does. His commentator Parthasarathi goes one step further. He depicts the Vaisesika system as not really needing the idea of a creator God. We have seen that in so doing he painted an incorrect picture of that system. DIS T RO Bronkhorst, J. (1993) "The Vaisesika vakya and bhasya". Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute 72-73 (1991 & 1992 [1993]): 145-169. Bronkhorst, J. (1996) "God's arrival in the Vaisesika System". Journal of Indian * Philosophy 24: 281-294. Bronkhorst, J. (2000), Karma and Teleology. A problem and its solutions in Indian philosophy. Tokyo. Bronkhorst, J. and Ramseier, Y. (1994) Word index to the Prasastapadabhasya. Delhi. Hacker, P. (1951) "Jayantabhatta and Vacaspatimisra". In: Festschrift Walther Schubring. Beitrage zur indischen Philologie und Altertumskunde. Hamburg 1951, pp. 160-69. Reprinted Kleine Schriften (in the series of the Glasenapp-Stiftung), Wiesbaden, pp. 110-119. Peri, Sarveswara Sharma (1994) "Kumarila Bhatta's denial of creation and dissolution of . the world". In: Dwivedi, R.C. (Ed.) Studies in Mimamsa. Dr. Mandan Mishra Felicitation Volume. Delhi, pp. 53-77. Ramaswami Sastri, K.S. (1937) "Date of Parthasarathimisra and sequence of his works". Indian Historical Quarterly 13: 488-497. ABBREVIATIONS Ki KISchr Prasastapadabhasya with the commentary Kiranavali of Udayana. Kleine Schriften in the series of the Glasenapp-Stiftung), Wiesbaden, Stuttgart. . 181 180