________________
CONCEPT OF SUBSTANCE QUALITY.... : 75
The philosophy of being or identity. The philosophy of becoming (change) or differences. The philosophy subordinating difference to identity. The philosophy subordinating identity to difference.
The philosophy coordinating both identity and difference. The Vedānta as the school of identity par excellence and Buddhism as that of difference par excellence respectively represent the first and class second. The Sāṁkhya, the bhedābhedavāda (of Bhartsprapañca, Bhāskara, Yadava and Nimbārka) and the Visiştādvaitavāda (of Rāmānuja) figure under the classe third. The Vaiseșika and Dvaita (of Madhva) systems come under the forth type. 27 Jainism is described in fifth category. Nyāya-Vaiseșika school is regarded as bhedavādi as they establish the relation between guna and dravya as of difference. To them the substance like earth, water, fire, air, space, direction, time, soul, etc., are substantive entities between guna and the qualities such as, colour, taste etc., inhering in material things and knowledge etc. inhering in the soul-substance. The Vedānta philosophy of absolute monism, being the advocate of the doctrine of identity between Reality (the Brahman) and its capacity holds the view that there is an identity between Brahman and absolute intelligence and absolute bliss or between the self and the selfluminous pure consciousness. For it is only self, not the object of any knowledge and is yet immediate and ever present in the consciousness. No one can doubt about his own self, because it itself is manifested along with all the states of knowledge. Thus real self is identical with the pure manifesting unity of all consciousness i.e. Brahman.
Sāṁkhya advocates somehow identity-cum-difference (kathañcitbhedābheda) in the relation of primordial matter (Prakrti) and with its three qualities, viz. sattva, rajas and tamas. These three qualities are constituents of Prakrti, not only to be discriminated but also not inherent in it. Patañjali raised the question whether dravya is different
