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24
Nagin J. Shah
Akalaňka refutes this view in the following manner. He admits that the usages like 'he did it within a wink of an eye', 'he did it within a breath' are no doubt based on activities. But he points out that our application of the term ‘time' to activities of 'winking', 'breathing' etc. could not be without any ground whatsoever. Take an example of our application of the term 'dandi' ('staff-bearer ') to Devadatta. This application of 'dandī' to Devadatta could not be baseless. Its basis is the relation obtaining between danda (staff) and Devadatta. Similarly, we should maintain that there is something like Time which, being in relation with activity, makes possible our application of term 'time' to activity19. Moreover, if we were to consider time as identical with activity, the contingency of the absence or nonexistence of the present would ensue. How ? In connection with activity there are only two alternative states, namely, activity either done or undone. There is no third state in its conection, namely, activity neither done nor undone. Thus activity is devoid of its present and hence it can. not provide the basis for the usage of present. And past and future being relative to present, in the absence of present they too woud be non-existent 20 It might be suggested that the collection of activities from the beginning of the effect to its completion is called present. But this stand is very weak. The activities being momentary, how could there be any possibility of their collection.21 Again if it were argued that time is not accepted inde. pendent of activities on the ground that it is not cognised as distinct from activities, Akalanka retorts that similar logic should be applied by the opponent to activities. When done so, even activities would suffer the same fate as that of time; they would be nothing over and above agents or substances as they are not cognised as distinct from them.22 The last
19 सत्यं क्रियाकृत एवायं व्यवहारः सर्वः - उच्छ्वासमात्रेण कृतं मुहूर्तेन कृतमिति, किन्तु समय उच्छ्वासो निश्वासो मुहूर्त इति स्वसंज्ञाभिर्निरूढानां काल इत्यभिधान मकस्मान्न भवति । यथा देवदत्तसंज्ञया निरूढे पिण्डे दण्ड्य भिधानमकस्मान्न भवति इति दण्डसम्बन्धसिद्धिः तथा कालसिद्धिरपि । राजवार्तिक, पृ० ४८२-३
कथम् ? ऊयते
20 तस्य वर्तमानकालाभावः प्रसक्तः । पट इति यः प्रक्षिप्तस्तन्तुः सोऽतिक्रान्तः यः प्रक्षेप्स्यते सोऽनागतः, न च तयोरन्तरे काचिदन्या अनतिक्रान्ताऽनागामिनी क्रियाऽस्ति या वर्तमानत्वेन परिगृह्येत । वर्तमानापेक्षौ च पुनरतीतानागताविष्येते, तदभावे तयोरप्यभावः स्यात् । राजवार्तिक, पृ० ४८३
आरम्भादिरपवर्गान्तः क्रियाकलापो वर्तमान इति । क्षणिकानां क्रियावयवानां समूहाभावाच्च । राजवार्तिक, पृ० ४८३ 22 यदि व्यतिरेकेणानुपलब्धेः कालो नास्ति इत्युच्यते ननु भावः । कारणानां हि प्रवृत्तिविशेषः क्रिया, न तेभ्यः राजवार्तिक, पृ० ४८३
21
तदप्ययुक्तम्, कुतः ?
क्रियाया: क्रियासमूहस्य चाप्रवृत्तिर्यतिरिक्ता उपलभ्यते ।
