Studies in Indian Philosophy

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 76

Tamas and Chāyā in the Jaina view
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the heat of sun-light is kept away by the dense grove of trees, we have the experience of cool touch though the place is windless, and so it is known for certain that the cool touch belongs to chāyā only. There is no reason for any preferential treatment here and so one cannot just accept one argument and not the other one. Moreover, it is said in Ayurveda, “Atapa ( sunlight) is kaļu (pungent) and dry; chāyā (shade) is sweet and cool, moon-light is astringent and sweet, darkness is the remover of all diseases". (This shows that chāyā and tamas are positive substances).
Vyomaśiva has tried to explain away the sweetness and coolness of chāyā by arguing that chāyā is said to be sweet and cool only secondarily, because the benefit that one derives from a sweet and cool substance can be had by resorting to shade, since it does the same work as a sweet and cool substance, it is ( secondarily ) said to be sweet and cool. VādiDevasūri feels that this is a statement not backed by proper consideration, for figurative or secondary meaning holds the ground only when the primary meaning is contradicted, but this is not what we find here.
It may be argued, "Shade is not sweet and cool, because it is not something that can be eaten or drunk, like fire”. The non-apprehension of the pervader (vyāpaka-being something that can be eaten or drunk ) is the contradicting factor here, whatever substance is sweet and cool is invariably something that can be eaten or drunk, as for example, sugar, milk; but this pervader (being something that can be eaten or drunk) not being found here, the pervaded (viz. sweet taste and cool touch) also cannot be present.
Vādi-Devasūri says in answer to this that this argument is not sound, for the pervasion of a sweet and cool substance by being something that can be eaten or drunk' is not established. Moonlight, for example, is a sweet, cool substance but it is not something that can be eaten or drunk. It may be contended that moonlight is not sweet or cool and so the Sp-7