Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 1

Author(s): Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 99

88
VAISHALI INSTITUTE RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 1
perception. The assertion 'Sound is eternal' by the Vaiseșika is contradicted by the accredited views of the school. Contradiction by popular conviction is illustrated in the statement 'A human skull is ceremonially clean and pure' because it is a part of a past living organism. This is contradicted by popular belief that it is impure and untouchable, which is also endorsed by scriptural texts. Contradiction by one's own statement is ‘My mother is barren'. The falsity of the thesis is also constituted by the falsity of the adjective of the predicate. In the assertion 'Word is perishable', the predicate is unproved and deemed false by a respondent holding Samkhya theory according to which nothing is liable to destruction. Likewise a thesis in which the substantive is not endorsed by the respondent is inadmissible. Thus 'A self is a unitary conscious principle (soul)' is in admissible to the Buddhist who does not believe in soul. When again both the substantive and adjective are not acceptable, it is a false thesis. For instance the argument of the Vaiseşika addressed to the Buddhist 'The self is the inherent cause of pleasure, pain, cognition and the like'. The Buddhist believes neither in the 'self' nor in the adjective `inherent cause'. The assertions 'A jar is visible' and 'A word is audible' are instances of futile thesis being not subject to doubt.
The thesis has been justified as a necessary member of syllogistic argument on the ground that it provides the starting point of discussion. The false thesis being its opposite will only serve to prevent the occurrence of debate. In subjective inference, the thesis is not a necessary constituent of the process but the subject is an indispensable part and so the word thesis should be regarded as the subject or the minor term of which the probans is asserted and the probanduin is established as a necessary predicate.
The next topic of discussion is hetvābhāsa, i. e. false and fallacious reasons (probanses).
Text
anyathā nupapannatyam hetor laksapamiritam! tadapratitisamdehaviparyāsais tadabhată!
Translation
“The defining characteristic of the probans has been stated to consist in its incompatibility with the contradictory of the probandum). The aforesaid probans is said to be a fallacious simulation if it is subject to indecision, doubt and definite error."
.. (XXII)