Samipya 1991 Vol 08 Ank 01 02

Author(s): Pravinchandra C Parikh, Bhartiben Shelat
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan

Page 39

that “Dharma' is multivocal term in Sanskrit. Now, we have to ascertain what is signified by the term Dharma in the Vaiseșika darśana.
At the commencement of the vaiseșikasūtra, the term Dharma is employed. The first sūtra runs-Now, we will, therefore, explain Dharma.8 The second sūtra runsDharma is that from which results the accomplishment of Exaltation and of the supreme good. The fourth sūtra combines the Dharma mentioned above with the knowledge obtained through similarity and dissimilarity among dravya, guņa etc, and it says that such a knowledge in turn leads to freedom.
Looking at the first and the fourth sútras, we can easily infer that here the word dharma is employed to convey the meaning of vedic rituals or Adsșta (the unseen potentiality of an act.) And it is also the fact that the most of the remaining vaiseşikasūtras describe the attributes (dharmas) of dravya etc.
This at first seems irrelevant to the main purpose of Vaišeşika, viz. the description of the nature of padārtha. Kaņādamuni proposes to describe the Vedic rituals or virtues; and actually he describes the attributes (dharmas ) of dravya etc. in the entire work!
Hence there is an allegation on the VS that the description of the six categories by Kaņāda in his VS after having proposed to describe the nature of Dharma is as irrelevant as to proceed towards the mountain Himalaya while intending to go to the see.9
Now, in order to answer this allegation, Prof. Anantalal Thakur states that dharma according to all the commentators means merit. But the subject-matter of the treatise shows that merit occupies an insignificant position in it and the entire work is devoted to the explanation of the characteristics of the six categories. Under the circumstances it seems more probable that the word 'dharma' in the first sūtra means "characteristic.' In support of his view, he presents the title 'padārtbadbarma*** Sangraha' given to the Prasastapādabhāşya by Prasastapāda himself.10
But this view cannot be accepted, betause how could we go against all the traditional Sanskrit commentaries ?
Prasastapāda himself seems to paraphrase the fourth VS in which he clarifies that the true knowledge of Ātman etc. is produced by the help of Dharma, established in the Veda by God.11
Chandrānanda-Vștti, Anonymous Commentary (Darbhanga Publication ), the Upaskāra commentary by Sankara Miśra and the Kaņādasūtravivști by Pt. Jayanārāyaṇa Tarkapancānana-all these commentaries unanimously interpret the word dharma' in the first VS as merit or adȚsta.12
Here it may be noted that the Baroda sūtra-text and Darbhanga sūtra-text do not have the fourth Vs in which the word "dharma' is used in the meaning of
The Concept to Dharma in the Vaiseșika Darsana]
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