Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 2

Author(s): G C Chaudhary
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 54

THE TRAIRĀŠIKAS AND THE VAISESIKAS
Prof. ANANTALAL THAKUR
The inter-relation between the Jaina and Vaiseșika schools of thought has not so far been critically examined. It has been claimed that the earliest Jaina philosophical treatises evince Vaiseșika influence on them. On the other hand, the rival claim is that the Vaišeşika system was first propounded by the Trairafika Rohagupta. We pro. pose to examine the latter alternative on the basis of the Viseşāvaśyakabhășya of Kşam śramana Śrī Jinabhadragani (C.A.D. 489-593). The Nihnavavada section of the work recounts the story of the teräsiya schism. From the nature of the narrative it appears that the story is based on earlier and authentic accounts. It was after five hundred and forty-four years from the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, that Rohagupta, a disciple
pta of Antarañjika defeated a tīrthika-wandering monk Potgasala by name with his new theory of the three categoriesJiva-ajiva and no-jiva.
Of these the first two were known. The Sthānangasūtra (II, IX. 95) tells us--duve rasi pannatta tam jcha jiva ceva ajiva ceva. The Anuyoga. dvūrasūtra repeats the same-ka:viha nama bhante davoa pannatta ? Goyama, duviha pannutta, tam yaha jīva davua ya ajivadavvā ya. The Utta. rūdhya, anasūtra (36.2) also adds jiva ceva ajiva ya esa loje viyahie.
The third, viz. no-jiva must have been an innovation by Rohagupta. This earned for him the title Terăsiya. Rohagupta reports about his victory to his Guru Śrīgupta, who naturally could not accept the theory of no-jiva and advised Rohagupta to give it up. But Rohagupta did not agree. Ultimately there was a long debate between the preceptor and disciple under the umpireship of king Balýri. But the king could ill-afford to devote much time to the debate. Now Śrīgupta proposed that the issue should be decided through a reference to the divine unsversal store, called kutrika pana in which everything existent under the sun was available. If no-jīva was existent any where, it should be available there. All the parties agreed and one hundred and forty-four questions were framed. On the basis of the six Categories - dravya, guna, karma, saṁsaya višeşa and samavāya and their possible sub-divisions totalling thirty-six in number, in their original form (prakrti) and prefixing a., no., and a-no- to each. The story shows that only the original forms along with their negative ones with the