Book Title: Nyaya Theory of Knowledge
Author(s): S C Chateerjee
Publisher: University of Calcutta

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 194
________________ ORDINARY PERCEPTION AND ITS OBJECTS 175 All attributes do not admit of sense perception. Hence we are to exclude the imperceptible attributes from the objects of perception Faculty (samskāra) is of three different kinds velocity (vega), which keeps a thing in motion; mental disposition (bhāvanā), which enables us to remember and recoguise things; and elasticity (sthitisthāpaka), by which a thing tends towards equilibrium when disturbed. Of these, mental disposition and elasticity are regarded as imperceptible attributes. So also merit (dharme..and demerit (adharmo) are considered to be supersensible attributes of the soul' With regard to effort (prayatna) some Naiyāyıkas inake 1 distinction betiveen three different kinds of it, namely, vitil effort (jīvanayoni), which maintains the flow of life (prānasamcārahetu), and positive and negative volitions (pravrtti and nurttı) According to them, vital effort (rīvanayoni prayatna) is an attribute which is not perceived, but inferred as the cause of vital functions. Modern Naiyāyikas, however, do not recognise the attribute of vital effort ? Ilmost all the Indian systeins agree in holding that heaviness or weight (gurutva) is a quality which cannot be perceived, but must be inferied' The reason why these qualities are treated as imperceptible is that they cannot be perceived by any of the senses iecognised in Indian philosophy. They are supersensible entities and hence there cannot be any kind of contact between these and our senses. In the Jaina system, however, light and heavy are treated as touch-sensations The remaining attributes are regarded as capable of being perceived by the senses But those belonging to the soul_such as knowledge, pleasure, pain, desire, aversion and volition, are the objects of internal perception_nhub ne di 1 BP, 93-94 1 SM & Dinakari, 149 52 3. BP., 153. 4 Cf. Pancastıkāyasära, Ch. 11.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440