________________
70: Śramana, Vol 64, No. 2, April-June 2013 real meaning used in the context of substance. In Ācārānga-sutra, mention of guņa -- ‘je gume se āvatte, je āvatte se gune 20 is in the sense of subject. 'Guņa’denoting capacity or quality of dravya occurs as a distinct category along with dravya and paryāya in Vyākhyāprajñapti, Uttarādhyayana and Anuyogadvāra-sūtra. Its definite conception is found in Tattvārthādhigamasūtra of Umāsvāti and other Indian texts. With the development of the metaphysical thought the conception of qualities was made clearer by the later Ācāryas. Uttarādhyayana mentions dravya as the substratum of qualities and the characteristic of guna is that gunās are inherent in one single substance. Āc. Kundakunda, Umāsvāti and Pūjyapāda adopt the same meaning and justify this adoption of meaning as well. Umāsvāti holds that guņas are inherent in dravya and they are themselves attributless (nirguņa guņāḥ)21 i.e. those which have substance as their substratum and which are not themselves the substratum of other qualities. It means quality or qualities cannot be substratum of other qualities. Above definition seems to be contradictory, but it underlies that if we consider quality of quality, we will land in fallacy of infinite regress. If the inherent quality in the substance possesses other qualities, it will appear itself as a substance-substratum in turn to possess a quality. For this reason gunas has been defined as that which are inherent in a substance and are not themselves the substratum of other qualities. Qualities are inherent in substance but the quality in itself is bereft of any quality. Pūjyapāda also defines dravya as 'dravyāśrayā nirguņā guņāḥ'i.e. 'those which have substance as their substratum and which are not themselves the substratum of other qualities, are qualities. The qualification without quality is intended to exclude molecules of two atoms etc. These molecules have got for their receptacle the atoms which constitute these molecules; these, however, possess qualities. Therefore, these have been excluded by the qualification "without qualities”. Pūjyapāda adds that some are of the opinion that modes like pitcher also have substance as their substratum and are without qualities. So qualities would apply to these modes also. But it is not so. Substance as substratum (dravyāśraya) implies that
