Nyaya Science of Thought

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

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NYAYA.
of all substantiveness. But that which is devoid of substantiveness cannot be the subject of any quality whatsoever, because qualities only inhere in substances. Hence, if existence were not a quality of substance, it would appertain to that which is incapable of being the subject of any quality whatsoever, and therefore, also of existence, which contradicts the proposition itself. Therefore, existence is an attribute of substance, and, conversely, that which exists must be a substance.
CHAPTER VIII.
Every soul is an indivisible unit of consciousness, that is to say, an individual. If it were not indivisible, it would consist of two or more parts, which would be either similar or dissimilar in function. But not dissimilar, because two dissimilar things cannot exercise a common function. Hence, consciousness, the distinguishing feature of
conceptions; but we must assume that substance is something different from its attributes' (The Imperial Dictionary). Thus everything that exists must have some sort of substantiveness or subsistence; and it is this substantiveness or subsistence which is called substance. As Spinoza puts it, “existence appertains to the nature of substance." It is in this sense that the word substance is employed in philosophy. Thus souls and matter are both substances though of different natures as is evident from their attributes.