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all their forms are rooted out, the ātmā or soul becomes seedless so that when his bodies, senses etc. once disappear, they will never reappear. This is just like the disppearance of fire when the fuel is burnt up and the result is peace. This peace is emancipation ( mokşa ).2
Thus in the two passages, 2 the author speaks of dharma and adharma as specific qualities of the Ātma. It is also pointed out there that dharma leads to priya, hita and mokşa i.e. happiness and emancipation whereas adharma leads to suffering and transgression. Both of these are supersensuous (Atindriyaḥ). This corresponds to what is popularly known as karma. Vyomaśivācārya in his commentary called Vyomavati on Prasastapāda expands the above idea. He quotes an ancient Āgama.3 This means that the Ātmā or self is essentially free from dharmā. dharma i. e. from karma but in mundane life it is associated with both. So long as this karma remains, Āyuḥ or term of life Śarīra or body, Indriyāņi (senses) and Vişāyaḥ or objects of senses are bound to exist. This shows that the entire worldly life consisting of bodies with their terms of life, senses attached to the bodies and the objects of the senses continue to exist. There is no relief from worldly condition. Vyomaśiva from his own point of view contradicts the view of the opponents, who believe in dharma but have different opinion in regard to its Substrata (ādhāra). In this connection he criticises the views that hold dharma to be a quality of buddhi' or as a quality of Paramāņu or as the attribute of the void (anáśrita). Details regarding these views need not be shown in this context.4 In this connection Prasastapāda points out consistently with the traditional view that the origin of dharma or adharma is possible
1. Prasastapādabhūsya p. 282.. 2. Prasastapāda Bhūşya with sūktisetu and Vyom uva:ī cdited by Gopinath
Kaviraj and Dundinath Shastri 1930 pp. 637 and 643, regarding
Dharma. 3. Vyomaśivācārya's Vyomavati. 4. Vyomavatee page 639.
