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FEBRUARY 2014
PRABUDDH JEEVAN
37
THE GLORIOUS DARŠANAS
BY: ATISUKHSHANKAR TRIVEDI
CHAPTER -III
combines Nyāya and Vaiseșika views) 13th century A. NYAYA AND VAISESIKA
D., are some later important names in Nyāya School of Dates of the Nyāya and the Vaibesika Schools : Philosophy. Kautilya, the author of the Arthśāstra, knew Nyāya in Annam Bhattain the 17th century, a Brāhmin of some form, as Anvikshiki, Critical Investigation, in 300 Andhra, gave a consistent system of Nyāya Old and B.C. From this it may be stated that though not as a Modern, and Vaiseșika in a combined formin his books, systematic philosophy, yet in some form, the Nyāya of which the Tarka-samgraha and Dipikā are popular existed as early as the fourth century B.C. The Vaibesika and widely used even now by students. system was much older than the Nyāya system.
The first systematic text-book of the Vaiseșika PhiThe Vaiseșika sútras were written before Charaka losophy is Vaiseșika Sûtras of Kanāda. Kaņāda alias (80 A.D) for not only does he quote one of the Vaišeşika Kaņābhuj means atom-eater. Possibly it was nickname Sûtras, but his whole medical physics is dependent on due to his theory, just as Akshpada Gautama may be the physics of the Vaišeşikas.
supposed to be the nickname of Gautama, meaning The Nyāya and the Vaiseșika Literature: The his
one whose eyes are directed to his feet. One explanatory of the Nyāya literature covers a span of about 20
tion of the name Kaņābhuj was that Kanāda was in the
habit of living on Grains (Kaņas) fallen on the road, centuries. The first text-book of Nyāya Philosophy was
like a pigeon. His gentile name was kāśyapa, and Siva the Nyāya Sutra of Gotama. It was divided into five
revealed in owl. (Ulûka) shape the system of his phibooks. The first book states the 16 Topics* or Catego
losophy as a renewed for his austerity, whence the ries which lead to the attainment of the Highest Good. Vaisesika Philosophy is also called Aulûkya Darśana The second book deals with the nature of doubt, the or the Philosophy of the owl. means of proof and their validity; the third book deals The Sutras of Kanāda (later than 300 B.C) have inwith the Self, Body, Senses and their objects, Cogni- fluenced the Nyāya Sûtras, but not vice versa; and so tion and Mind. The fourth book speaks of Volition, Sor- they were distinctly earlier in time than the Nyāya Sûtras. row, suffering and Liberation; the fifth book-Unereal Kanāda's Sûtras are in ten books. Book I discusses Objections and Points of Refutation. These Sûtras be
the five Categories: Substance, Quality, Action, Genlong to the 3rd century B.C.
erality and Particularity. Book II deals with different Vātsyayana's Nyāya Bhāşya is the classic commen
substances, Book III: the Nature of Inference. Book IV
deals with the Atomic structure of the Universe, Book tary on these Sûtras. This author lived sometime be
V deals with Actions, Book VI with Ethical Problems, fore 400 A.D.
Book VII with Quality, Self and Inference, and Books Dignāga criticised Vātsyayana's interpretation of the
VIII to X are Logical. Nyāya Sûtras from Buddhistic point of view. He lived in
Prasastapada was a scholiast of the school, who the 5th century A.D
while he commented on the Vaiseșika sûtras, made A defence of Vātsyayana against the attack of
also considerable additions in them. He was influenced Dignāga is presented by Udyotakāra in his Nyāya
by the Nyāya Philosophy and was later than Vārtika, 6th century A.D
Vatsyāyana, about the end of the 4th century A.D. Vāchaspati, 9th century A.D., Jayanta, 10th century
Sridhara, Udayana, Langākşi Bhaskara are later A.D., Vardhaman-13th century A.D., Keśava Miśra (who
and other Vaiseșika Philosophers. *Gotama's 16 topics are: 441 (Proof), #4, HTT, PIH,
The Main Spirit of the Nyāya Vaišeşika Philosoदृष्टांत, सिद्धांत, अवयव (Premise), तर्क (Reductio ad absurdum),
phy: The Nyāya -Vaiseșika Philosophy takes a comनिर्णय (Determination), वाद, जल्प (Controversy), वितण्डा
mon-sense view of Reality. Things are permanent ob(Cavil), fratr, 1 (Perversion), Fifa (Self-contradiction),
jects. It does not accept the Buddhistic Doctrine of and MERT (Refutation). These are all Dialectical Top
Momentariness. The jug is a jug because it has an exterics, while Kanada's Topics are Metaphysical Catego
nal existence independent of me, not because of my ries.
